Lagos APC set up 7 man committee to screen aspirants for assembly primary

macfranc007 September 19, 2018 Nigeria News today & Breaking news ▷ Read Naija news 24/7 David Oladele

- The Lagos state chapter of the APC has set up a seven-man committee to screen aspirants for its state assembly primary

- The state chairman of the party, Tunde Balogun, inaugurated the committee at the ACME road secretariat of the party

- Speaking to newsmen after the closed-door inauguration, Balogun said the setting up of the committee was in preparation for the state assembly primary

The Lagos state chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) on Tuesday, September 18, inaugurated a seven-member committee to screen aspirants for the October 4 state assembly primary.

News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Tunde Balogun, the state chairman of the party, inaugurated the committee at the ACME road secretariat of the party.

The members of the committee include: former deputy-governor of the state, Femi Pedro; the commissioner for health, Jide Idris; a party chieftain, Wale Oshun; and member of the party’s Governor’s Advisory Council (GAC), Abayomi Finnih.

Moshood Salvador, a former chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state, who joined the APC is also among members of the committee.

Balogun said the setting up of the committee was in preparation for the state assembly primary adding the committee, which would begin work on Wednesday, September 19, and finish on Friday, September 21, was to ensure that aspirants met the requirements to contest in the primary.

Balogun explained that each of the members of the committee would chair a sub-committee with members, to respond to the high number of aspirants.

According to him, “We have a large number of people who are to be screened to contest in the state house of assembly primary. “We have 40 seats in the state and over 230 aspirants are to be screened.

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“This is a large number, and that is why each member of the committee is chairing a sub-committee to rise up to the challenge. “We are prepared for this enormous job, and and we are even expecting members from the national secretariat to do the work.”

He assured that the committee would carry out its responsibility without let or hindrance. On the inclusion of Salvador in the committee, Balogun said it reflected the party’s promise that all defectors would be treated equally like the others.

The chairman said the APC would not renege on its promise to ensure new members were fully integrated. He described the excitement generated by the emergence of two challengers to Governor Akinwunmi Ambode for the party’s governorship ticket as good for internal democracy.

Balogun said the emergence of a former commissioner of establishment and training, Jide Sanwo-Olu and a former commissioner of works, Obafemi Hamzat, reflected the beauty of democracy.

Meanwhile, NAIJ.com had reported that the APC said the national leader of the party, A siwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, was in charge of choosing the Lagos state governorship aspirants of the party in the 2019 general elections.

The party made the statement over the alleged rift between Tinubu and the current governor of the state, Akinwunmi Ambode.

Ambode relocated to his home base in Epe where he is weighing his options in the face of chorused mobilisation by the political base of the party to stop him.

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