••• Governor Sanwo-Olu: ‘Process Simply Decisive, Non-Controversial"

•••"Any Parallel Congress Mere Naming Ceremony" - Sanwo-Olu

The Lagos State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has elected a new chairman. He is Pastor Cornelius Ojelabi, a former Commissioner and member of the House of Representatives.

Ojelabi, a thoroughbred grassroots politician was elected at the State Congress held on Saturday at Mobolaji Johnson Arena, Onikan, where card-carrying members of the party converged to elect officers into the party positions at the state level.

Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu led delegates across the State to the event held under the supervision of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and Electoral Committee members appointed by the party’s National Caretaker Committee of the APC in Abuja.

There were 1,615 delegates accredited to pick the party’s state executive members during the congress organised under heavy security presence.

Notable APC stalwarts at the congress included the Deputy Governor, Dr. Obafemi Hamzat, lawmaker representing the Lagos Central in the Senate, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, Senator Olamilekan Adeola (Lagos West), Senator Rotimi Abiru (Lagos East), Chief of Staff to the Governor, Mr. Tayo Ayinde, immediate past caretaker chairman of the party in Lagos, Hon. Tunde Balogun, all serving members of the national and State assemblies, chairmen of local councils and party supporters.

The congress commenced at 11am, following the opening speech of the chairman of the State’s Congress Electoral Committee, Chief Adebayo Adelabu, who promised objectivity, fairness and equity throughout the process.

Adelabu said the electoral committee was duly authorised by the party’s national committee to ensure smooth organisation of the election, expressing confidence in the peaceful conduct of the process.

As voting was about to start, the Electoral Committee chairman disclosed that 38 aspirants were screened for all 37 vacant positions in the party’s state chapter. Two aspirants, he said, expressed their interest in the chairmanship position.

Adelabu said a chairmanship aspirant was found ineligible based on the party’s guidelines and was disqualified. Other aspirants, he said, were all cleared for the positions they contested for and returned unopposed.