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A Coalition of Progressives in the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Lagos State has demanded the rotation of the chairmanship of the party in the state among the senatorial zones.
The coalition said it was mandatory that incumbent Chairman, Henry Ajomale, steps aside after fourteen years in the saddle, adding that there was a need for a change in the system not only in the interest of fair play, but in order to inject new blood into leadership of the party.
In a statement to newsmen signed by Taoridi Jinadu Akapo, president of the coalition, the coalition said the state was divided into various political divisions, stressing that appointments and political sharing formula were not shared equally among the zones but only concentrated in a zone.
“Lagos State is a state of extraordinary diversity and as such, one of extraordinary complexities. These complexities are a reflection of the avalanche of ethno-cultural and socio-political groups co-habiting the territory and the intricacies of interaction among them.
“Indeed, Nigeria’s adventure into pluralism of religious and ethnic diversities owes its origin to colonial conquest which permeated the entire continent of Africa, began from the Lagos Colony which is presently known and called either Lagos Division or Lagos Senatorial District.
“But it must be stated here that with the advent of the 1999 political formation, there has been a profound change in the practice of party politics in the state in the sense that the system has been practised in an awkward manner and this has called into question the manner of a lopsided power sharing/representation formula. What are the future hopes for politically stability, when the most prosperous part is being relegated into obscurity and odium?” the statement said.
The coalition urged the national leader of the party, Bola Tinubu, to intervene and restore fair play in the APC in the state, while backing the call for the National Chairman of the party headed by John Odigie-Oyegun not to seek re-election in the forth-coming national convention of the party.
The coalition however, cautioned the national leader of the party on his message that some individuals in the party should not contest in the state congress of the party, stressing that if not checked it could affect the unity of members, and the chances of the party in the 2019 general election.
“Why should Asiwaju unilaterally make a proclamation to stop some people from aspiring to positions in the party and asking others to do so? Are there some set of rules for some aspirants and another for others? Or is this a signal of what to come in the next few months?”, the coalition further stated.
Iniobong Iwok
