Sir Jude Idimogu, the lone lawmaker of Igbo extraction in the Lagos State House of Assembly has urged the leadership of Lagos APC to revisit the alleged manipulation of the party’s primary election in his Oshodi-Isolo Constituency II.
Idimogu, a two-term lawmaker, representing the constituency in the Lagos Assembly hinted newsmen about the gang-up against his reelection by some leaders adding that it could have a dire consequence on the ruling party.
According to him, though he is not afraid of losing the party’s ticket in a free and fair contest, the primary election conducted on Thursday, where he and other contenders lost without a single vote to the son of a former APC Chairman, Mr Ladi Ajomale, spoke a lot about the entire process.
He urged the party to urgently look at the primaries because of the Igbo factor in the constituency, saying that the alleged manipulation “can likely have a negative effect on our great Party.”
“The Oshodi/Isolo Constituency II primary election held on 27th May 2022 was a kangaroo election.
“The party leaders as a matter of urgency should look into this ugly development before it affects our party’s chances in the general elections.
“It is important to note Igbo factors in our general election. I believe that I deserve a second term ticket APC,” Idimogu said.
The lawmaker appealed to the leadership of APC to revisit the outcome of the primaries, if not for other things, but for the sake of Igbos in Lagos State.
He alleged that a respected member of the Governance Advisory Council (GAC), the highest decision organ in Lagos APC allegedly took all the delegates and camp them for over 10 hours in a hotel where they took an oath and were induced.
According to him, there was no way all the candidates would vote against him, and other contestants for the party ticket at the primaries.
“The vote score was 30-0 in favor of Ladi Ajomole and also 30-0 in favor of another aspirant for the House of Representatives, Engr. Ganiyu Johnson.
“If I may ask, what kind of election is this where a particular candidate won all the votes while other candidates, including a sitting lawmaker, didn’t get even a single vote? Idimogu queried.
He said that the leadership of APC should not allow such a primary to stand, saying that the main opposition party was lurking around to win back elections in the area.
According to him, the PDP in the Igbo populated constituency gave its house of assembly’s ticket to a Yoruba aspirant while her House of Representatives ticket was given to an Igbo man.
Idimogu, the only Igbo man in the Lagos Assembly, won his first election under PDP in 2015 and crossed over to the APC.
He won the APC ticket to re-contest in the 2019 general elections and got reelected on the APC platform.