Residents of the Amuwo Odofin Local Government Area of Lagos have restated their call on the national leader of the All Progress Congress, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, to use his influence to ensure that a former House of Assembly member and chairmanship aspirant in the area, Dipo Olorunrinu, emerged as the chairman of the council.
They urged other leaders of the party to act quickly to prevent the opposition from taking advantage of the crisis within the party.
Olorunrinu had filed suit against Valentine Braimoh, who was sworn in as the chairman of the local government area, and the party after his name was allegedly substituted.
A youth leader in the area, Oluwasegun Kosoko, said anything short of restoration of Olorunrinu’s mandate in Amuwo-Odofin would make the opposition hold sway.
Kosoko, “This is important for me because I am here to represent the whole youths in Amuwo-Odofin who are angry. We supported Dipo because his ideology is accommodating.
“The council’s primary election is unprecedented in Amuwo-Odofin. The turnout recorded in the election has never been witnessed before in the APC in the area because Dipo is sociable and down-to-earth.
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“But the name of the person, who led thugs to beat us up, shot at us and disrupted the peace of the process, having removed Dipo’s name. How do you expect the community people to be happy? They should just forget about the local government; the opposition will keep taking the lead on a silver platter if they fail to address this.”
Another resident, Mr Jamiu Oladiji, described Olorunrinu as the preferred candidate of the residents.
Oladiji, who is also a member of the Electrical and Electronics Association in Amuwo-Odofin, “Other bodies comprising different associations and FESTAC Residents Association are saying that we want Olorunrinu. The people voted for him during the primaries and we mobilised people to register with the party.
He also said the matter which had gone to court should be given an accelerated hearing as the people had waited enough.
Also speaking, the Secretary of Arewa Community in the area, Hamzat Abdullahi, said, “It is the high time Tinubu intervened in the matter. His being silent on this is not fair to us, because Dipo remains a symbol of unity to us.”
Counsel to Olorunrinu, Chris Mosindi, said the matter before the State High Court deserved an accelerated hearing.
THE PUNCH……..
