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Lagos 2023: Twists, Turns, Confusion as 3 aspirants lay claims to LP Guber ticket 

The governorship primary scheduled by the Lagos State chapter of Labour Party (LP) to pick a substitution for its candidate failed to hold on Monday as one of the aspirants, Hon. Moshood Salvador complained of irregularity in the delegate list and consequently stormed out of the venue of the exercise in annoyance, demanding its cancellation and a new date to be fixed for a fresh primary.

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A fresh exercise is now slated to hold on Wednesday as announced by the party’s deputy national chairman, Alhaji Lamidi Apanpa.

Both Salvador and Gbadebo Rhodes -Vivour were in a two-horse race, scheduled to hold in Papa Ajao along Murtala Muhammed International Airport Road, but the former expressed concern over alleged manipulation of the delegates list, saying about 26 delegates belonging to him were added to those of his opponent.

This was just as Salvador, who addressed newsmen over the development before storming out of the venue, quickly recalled that Rhodes- Vivour had a day earlier agreed to step down for him, saying he was surprised that getting to the venue of the primary, his opponent insisted on contesting the primary, and more so, the delegate list had been doctored in his favour.

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However, Rhodes-Vivour said nobody told him any name was added to his own list, noting that it was a simple mistake that had since been resolved, just as he denied the report that the party asked him to step down for Salvador.

It would be recalled that the guber primary was scheduled for Monday because the state chairman of the party, Comrade Olukayode Salako, at a briefing held last week said the party was yet to pick a candidate for the state, dismissing claims that somebody had emerged as governorship candidate of LP in Lagos State for the 2023 poll.

Salvador, while addressing newsmen, said he got to venue of the primary to discover that the list of delegates had been doctored and skewed to favour his opponent.

According to him, each of the aspirants was mandated to submit 100 names of delegates, saying that to his surprise, 26 names among the delegate names he submitted were missing from the compiled list and added to the list belonging to Rhodes- Vivour.

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Salvador, therefore, called for the cancellation of the primary and urged the party to fix another date when a free, fair and transparent primary would be conducted.

“I can confidently say the party is the problem of itself. We have done all possible best. Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour is like a cousin to me and the father even spoke to me this morning, I even pledged N5 million to his election if he wins.

“We had a rumour that some people were demanding a lot of money from him, whether he gave it to them or not, I don’t know but we agreed that he should bring 100 delegates, I will bring 100 delegates and the State Exco would now join with 17 delegates to make it 217.

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“But this morning, 30 minutes to the primary we realized that they have removed 26 delegates out of mine and added it to his. They are now telling me it is a mistake but that can never be taken as a mistake. Therefore, I cannot have confidence in this electoral body again.

“The party would need to reorganize themselves and not do the primary today again. The delegate lists have been doctored and they are now saying they are going to correct it. Therefore, we cannot have confidence in this electoral body again. And that is why the primary election should be cancelled.” Salvador said.

Responding, Rhodes-Vivour maintained that nobody told him any list was added to his, saying that the error which he described as a simple mistake had been resolved now.

“Everybody has their delegate lists and they would be accredited. There are no issues here,” he said.

Speaking further, the LP chieftain denied the report that the party asked him to step down for Salvador, maintaining that everything had been resolved, assuring that LP was going ahead to have a free and fair election at the venue of the primary.

“I don’t know why the Deputy National Chairman would say that because everybody bought form to contest in the election and the fact of the matter is that I have the right to contest. It is a very fair system that we have even though, there was an initial breach, everything has been resolved and we are going to have a free and fair election. The election is going to take place today,” he said.

The party secretary in Lagos State and chairman of the substitution governorship primary in the state, Sam Emeka Okpara, said that they were at the venue of the primary to conduct the substitution primary election for the governorship candidate of the Labour Party in Lagos State, adding that all the relevant authorities had been notified.

Okpara, who equally admitted that a mistake was made on the delegate list, however, pointedly declared that no aspirant was empowered to call for the cancellation of the exercise.

“He may express his personal opinion or grievances towards the exercise but the truth is that the party has promised all aspirants that we are going to have free, fair and credible primary for all the aspirants,” he said.

The party deputy national chairman, Alhaji Lamidi Apanpa, while speaking with newsmen in reaction to the development, expressed surprise that the situation got to a level where someone was calling for the cancellation of the primary because of a little error which might have occured while printing the names of delegates.

He later announced the cancellation of the exercise and shifted the holding of fresh primary to Wednesday.

On the need for the substitution primaries, Bashiru Apapa, the LP Deputy National Chairman, told journalists that Mr Awamaridi, the LP gubernatorial candidate whose name was published by INEC, was just a ‘placeholder’.

He stated that Mr Awamaridi had written formerly that he had withdrawn from that office, adding that when he took the form, he was just a placeholder and that meant that he could be removed.

“That means his name can be changed for another candidate,” he said.

But Mr Awamaridi has dismissed claims that he had withdrawn as the party’s governorship candidate.

He told PREMIUM TIMES on Tuesday that the development within the party in the state is due to greed by the leaders.

“I am still the party’s candidate recognised by INEC,” he added.

In an affidavit of non-withdrawal sworn before the Federal High Court in Abuja, Mr Awamaridi said he had been informed that some national leaders were discussing his replacement as the party’s candidate.

He noted that according to the 2022 Electoral Act, the only means of replacing him is through voluntary withdrawal or death.

“I hereby state under oath that I did not withdraw my candidature and I am not withdrawing my candidature and I do not intend to withdraw and I shall not withdraw my candidature,” Mr Awamaridi stated in the affidavit dated 5th August.

“I hereby state under oath that I am alive. I am not dead. I am not incapacitated and I do not consent to any obituary or any death documentation whatsoever done in my name.”

(NAN/Tribune/Premium Times)