May 31,2022

Comrade Ayodele Adewale, former All Progressives Congress (APC) organising secretary and an aspirant to Amuwo Odofin Federal Constituency seat in Lagos, has petitioned the party’s appeal committee alleging fraud in the conduct of the primary election that produced Prince Lanre Sanusi as candidate.

Comrade Adewale, in the petition seen by THE WITNESS, alleged that the state party chairman, Pastor Cornelius Ojelabi, in connivance with some leaders of the party in Oriade LCDA and Amuwo Odofin Local Government Area manipulated the local government’s delegates list and the entire process leading to the primary election in favour of Prince Sanusi

Adewale who is the immediate-past chairman of Amuwo Odofin Local Government also insisted in the petition that Prince Lasisi was not qualified to run for the position of House of Representatives because he was disqualified by the House of Assembly in 2019 for presenting fake United States academic documents at the screening stage for the state executive cabinet when his name was put forward as a commissioner nominee.

He therefore requested that the appeal committee calls for the report of the house assembly screening committee that screened and disqualified Prince Sanusi for presentation of fake academic result.

Read the full petition below:

Sunday 29 May 2022

COMRADE AYODELE ADEWALE
ASPIRANT, HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVE AMUWO ODOFIN FEDERAL CONSTITUENCY

The Chairman
APC Primary Election Appeal Committee
For National Assembly and State House of Assembly.

Dear Sir

PETTITION: MALPRACTICES AND OTHER ISSUES AT THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES PRIMARY ELECTION

I am Comrade Ayodele Adewale an aspirant at the just concluded House of Representative Amuwo Odofin Federal Constituency primary election that took place on Friday 27 May 2022. I was also the APC Organising Secretary from 2021 to April 2022 . A position I resigned from due to my House of Representatives aspiration in accordance with the APC Constitution. I am the immediate past Local Government Chairman of Amuwo Odofin Local Government. I was a frontline student union activist and became President, Lagos State University Students Union Government as a 200 level student; former National PRO of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS); mobilization officer to late Chief Anthony Enahoro & late Dr Beko Ransome-Kuti led Pro-National Conference Organisation (PRONACO) movement.

REASON FOR PETITION

The ethos of our Party is that all aspirants are entitled to have a level playing field so free and fair elections can take place. The APC National Leader Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu stated it publicly at different fora and to me personally saying that all aspirants should test their popularity on the field.

I am putting this petition forward and reporting what happened during the conduct of the House of Representatives Amuwo Odofin Federal Constituency election and pre-election activities that took place before the primary by the APC Party Chairman Pastor Cornelius Ojelabi and very few of the Apex Leaders in Oriade LCDA and Amuwo Odofin LG that manipulated LGA DELEGATE LIST and the House of Representatives processes to favour Prince Lanre Sanusi (PLS) an aspirant.

The following are what happened:

1. Tampering with the LG and Ward Congress list;

The LG and Ward Congress that held last year 2021 was a peaceful process and an amonised list was drawn up that took care of the various interest groups in Amuwo Odofin LG and Oriade LCDA.

The list was sent to the APC National Headquarters and thereafter ratified.

This authentic list was well received by all and there were no appeals registered before the appeal committee then against the names or process.

On the 3rd of September 2021 the Amuwo Odofin Local Government Ward Chairmen were sworn in at the Lagos State APC Secretariat on Acme Road, Ikeja, Lagos State.

However in the days leading to the 27 May 2022 primary elections, the Lagos State Party Chairman Pastor Ojelabi in connivance with few of the Apex leaders in Amuwo Odofin LG and Oriade LCDA deliberately tampered with the LG and Ward Congress list that had been approved and ratified by the APC National Secretariat.

Sir, attached is the signed list from APC national secretariat Abuja and also the tampered list by Pastor Ojelabi that was used to conduct the primary elections in Amuwo Odofin Federal Constituency.

Sir, the list gave 11 slots to Senator Musiliu Obanikoro, 1 slot to Hon. Mrs. Bola Badmus-Olujobi (Deputy Woman Leader, West, APC Lagos), 1 slot to Prince Adio Sekoni for Oriade LCDA, 1 slot to Alhaja Ajao (Amuwo Odofin LG), 1 slot to Alhaji Lawal (Amuwo Odofin LGA), 2 slots each to the 2 House of Assembly members, and 4 slots each to the 8 House of Representative aspirants.

The aspirants and other stakeholders were not consulted in the drawing up of this list.

Furthermore said list was signed by Hon. Bola Badmus Olujobi who is a member of the State Executive and also Alhaja Ajao, Alhaji Lawal, Hon. Ganiu Tunji Okukolu (former member House of Representatives, Amuwo Odofin Federal constituency) Mr. Ayo Ogungbiye and Mr. Hassan Sabitu Abu.

Pls kindly noted that Amuwo Odofin LGA apex leaders is Rt. Hon. Abayomi Kiyomi (former Hon. Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly). Hon. Kiyomi has no knowledge of this list or what Alhaj Ajao and her co-traveler’s had done. Amuwo Odofin Apex structure has 22 members.

Please Sir, be aware that the Apex Leadership structure was created to support older members of the Party who have no position within the Party structure. It is therefore worrisome that 2 members who are not event senior within that structure signed the document that has created this crisis.

Sir, If the Apex Leaders were to be involved inviting all the stakeholders in the federal constituency then it would have carried more weight and the resolution of that meeting would have been signed by the Chairman and secretary.

2. Petition from the Authentic LG and Ward Congress Delegates.

The authentic delegates aspirants paid for and bought their forms for the delegate election exercise however they were not allowed to participate in that election. Instead fake delegates were imposed on us by the Party Chairman Pastor Ojelabi.

2. Petition from the Authentic LG and Ward Congress Delegates.

The authentic delegates aspirants paid for and bought their forms for the delegate election exercise however they were not allowed to participate in that election. Instead fake delegates were imposed on us by the Party Chairman Pastor Ojelabi.

Sir, I am appealing that the Appeal Committe request for evidence from the fake delegates to show that they paid for and bought forms that allowed them to take part in the exerise.

3. Qualification of Prince Lanre Sanusi

The aspirant Prince Lanre Sanusi is not qualified to run for the position of House of Representative. It is well documented that Prince Lanre Sanusi was disqualified by the Lagos State House of Assembly in 2019 for presenting fake United States of America academic documents at the screening stage for the Lagos State Executive Cabinet when his name was put forward as a Commissioner nominee.

Sir, I am requesting that this Appeal Committee calls for the report of the Lagos State House of Assembly screening committee that screened and disqualified Prince Lanre Sanusi for presentation of fake academic result.

Prince Lanre Sanusi do not live in Amuwo Odofin LGA, all he did is rent an acommodation in Festac Town to show that he lives in the area.

Prince Lanre Sanusi 8 years ago contested against Hon. Benson who is now the House of Representatives member for Ikorodu federal constituency and also 4 years ago he contested as a senator in Lagos East Senatorial district and when he saw that his chances was bleak, he then decided to move to Amuwo Odofin LG to contest for the House of Representatives. He came to Amuwo Odofin LG without an APC membership slip and an INEC voter’s card registered to Ikorodu 4 years ago. He only just transferred his INEC card to Amuwo Odofin LG recently and got his APC membership card at the last APC registration exercise.

CONCLUSION:

My prayers to this honorable Appeal Committee is to investigate the issues above.

I further request that Prince Lanre Sanusi be disqualified and removed as the APC House of Representative candidate and that i be given the ticket of the APC to contest as the candidate of the APC party.

My past antecedents speaks for itself, I am very popular and well known in the communities and we need to field a strong candidate who has the capacity and backing of the elcetorate to run against the PDP incumbent who will be running for a 3rd term.

Yours Sincerely,

Comrade Ayodele Adewale
House of Representative Aspirant
Amuwo Odofin Federal Constituency