Agege LGA Chairmanship Race: Agege Renewed Hope Movement Calls For Restraint In Candidate’s Endorsement, Demands Clean Democratic Process
By Oki Samson, Trek Africa Newspaper
Citing that it is unclear to what end, eminent sons and daughters of Agege under the aegis of Agege Renewed Hope Movement, have decried attempts in certain quarters to endorse a player when the game has not even started in a move which is tantamount to imposition of candidates. ‘Such practices connotes unprofessionalism, intimidation, and disarray within the All Progressives Congress (APC) fold’, the sociopolitical group hinted as it calls for cautious optimism as the party marches to victory in the upcoming LGA/LCDA elections in Agege local government area and across Lagos State.
The group comprising eminent sons and daughters of Agege who have, in one way or another, been impacted by the community and have moved on to prominence both in Nigeria and in the Diaspora hinted: ‘While the political season has commenced with declaration of interest from some members of the party and others might still come up, the fact remains that only those who buy the APC Chairmanship nomination forms will be eligible to be deemed aspirants with clear and acceptable manifestos. It is after this stage that party primaries will be conducted through a level playing ground for all aspirants to show their popularity and acceptance to produce the eventual candidate to fly the party’s flag in the State LGA/LCDA elections of July 2025. So why the rush?’
The group indicated that untoward gestures such as this from party leadership and some stakeholders may indicate a blatant disregard for electoral guidelines and democratic norms and principles. This is not expected of Nigeria’s governing party, All Progressives Congress APC, which has grown numerically wide and systematically deep in all 36 states and FCT. This position is affirmed by the clarity and openness which trailed the process that produced His Excellency, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR as the APC’s presidential flagbearer and consequently the President and Commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of the country at the 2023 general election in the Country.
‘This may breed mistrust and anger among the vast membership who ought to work for the party’s victory, undermine the party’s internal democracy, and erode the citizenry’s love and interest in the party’, the group highlighted its concerns.
It urged the party’s leadership and stakeholders across Agege Local government area to allow the fundamentals of democracy to take their proper place in the ongoing electioneering process by respecting the right of every member and aspirants, affirming the importance of free and fair primaries, and offering a level playing field for all APC members and aspirants in Agege who aspire to the no. 1 job in the LGA. When this is done, the group believes, that a winner would have emerged clearly and be magnanimous in victory while those who lose will feel seen and heard and will support the party’s supremacy gallantly.
Agege Renewed Hope Movement is a sociopolitical group of thought leaders and change agents who are set out to be the voice for the voiceless, the hope for the hopeless, and the help for the helpless within Agege in particular and beyond the land. It comprises passionate and eminent personalities of Agege extraction in their respective spheres of influence conglomerating to ensure that Agege being a multicultural, economically viable, multi-religious, and politically conscious hub should continue to enjoy the development, unity, and peace which it is known for.
