Skip to main content

Lagos Democratic Forum Challenges Tinubu's No Election Primary Directive

The Lagos Democratic Forum (LDF) has condemned what it described as the ongoing desecration of democratic ethos in the Lagos State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
In a press statement signed by Chief Kunle Dada and Comrade Wale Andyright, the group's Coordinator and General Secretary, respectively, the Forum observed that Ahmed Bola Tinubu’s 'directive' given to the party rank-and-file to jettison party primaries for the forthcoming local government elections in the state is undemocratic and contradicts the APC’s constitution and values.
"What Asiwaju Tinubu is doing to the Lagos APC is unfortunate. APC, as a progressive party, is supposed to model the grundnorm of democracy, yet one of the basic requirements of that grundnorm is internal democracy. Candidates of the party must emerge as the popular choices of all registered and qualified members of the party, voting freely," the LDF wrote in its statement.
At a meeting of local government leaders of the APC summoned by Asiwaju Tinubu at the Acme Road office of the Lagos State chapter of the APC, Tinubu declared that 18 immediate past Local Government Chairmen should be automatically returned as the party's candidates in their respective Local Government Areas or Local Council Development Areas, while leaders of the party in other LGAs/LCDAs should select chairman and councillorship candidates.
“This is giving free reign to impunity," the LDF asserted. "The collective yearnings and democratic duties of members in the wards and Local Government Areas have been circumvented and marginalized. It is the right of the party members to score those former Chairmen and decide to return them or not with their votes at the party primary. The same goes for the Councillor cadre.
“This is patently in contradiction to Article 20 of the party's constitution, which makes primaries compulsory, while Article 21 criminalizes any attempt to compromise internal democracy in the party.
"To make matters worse, some leaders are criminally exploiting the emergency powers illegally conferred on them by Tinubu. We have verified reports on how these leaders have been collecting monies from aspirants so as to be given favorable consideration for selection. Seriously, this is indecent,” the group declared.
The LDF first came to public attention in 2014 in the run-up to the Lagos State Governorship primary election, when it organized various protest marches and public advocacy events to insist on the conduct of a primary election to determine who among the various aspirants canvassing for the party ticket then will emerge. The group now vows to use all possible constitutional and democratic means to seek and redress the injury being inflicted on party members by Tinubu.
"The LDF was conceived from our commitment to a flourishing democracy in our state. We will not, therefore, stand by helplessly to watch the irreverent rape of democracy and the subjugation of the will of the people by an individual and his small circle of acolytes. As we did in 2014 through to 2015, we shall vigorously challenge this current threat to democracy in Lagos State," the LDF concluded.

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Kenny Baker, actor behind R2-D2, dies

The 3ft 8in actor, who starred in six Star Wars films as well as Time Bandits and Flash Gordon, was 81 The British actor who played R2-D2 in the Star Wars films has died at the age of 81 after a long illness. Kenny Baker, who was 3ft 8in tall, shot to fame in 1977 when he first played the robot character. Meeting Kenny Baker, the real-live human behind R2-D2 He went on to play the character in The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi, as well as the three Star Wars prequels from 1999 to 2005. He also appeared in a number of other much loved films in the 1980s, including The Elephant Man, Time Bandits and Flash Gordon. His niece, Abigail Shield, paid tribute to her uncle. She told the Guardian: “It was expected, but it’s sad nonetheless. He had a very long and fulfilled life. He brought lots of happiness to people and we’ll be celebrating the fact that he was well loved throughout the world. We’re all very proud of what he achieved in his lifetime.” Baker and Shiel...
Post a Comment
Read more

What You Must Not Tell Kidnappers - Victim Reveals

The arrest of notorious and billionaire kidnap kingpin, Evans, does not decimate kidnap cases in Nigeria. Kidnappers are on the look-out for the next victim. One just need to be vigilant so as not to fall prey into their hands. An abductee of one of the recent kidnap cases of the Abuja-Kaduna expressway has revealed the traumatic experience he and others underwent in the hands of their dreaded abductors. The victim, who craved anonymity for security concerns, revealed what caused the instant death of two kidnap victims whom they were abducted together. The victim, told BBC Hausa Service that two of the kidnapped passengers were killed for admitting that they had nobody to pay their ransom. "I was traveling to Kaduna and we left Zuba garage on a commercial car. On reaching Katari (town), we met the kidnappers; 7 of them. They stopped us and chased us into the tick of the bush. We trekked from 1pm until 3am. “We don’t know where they kept us in the bush, because I have ne...
Post a Comment
Read more

Comedian Basketmouth robbed in his Lekki home

Basketmouth Famous Nigerian stand-up comedian, Bright Okpocha popularly known as Basketmouth and his family were in the early hours of this morning robbed at their Lekki home at gunpoint. His close friend and colleague, comedian Bovi took to his Instagram page to say that Basketmouth and family are safe and unhurt after the robber’s invasion. According to Bovi, the bandits carted away valuables and the security footage. See his post below:
Post a Comment
Read more