Aspirants on the platform of the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC in the forthcoming local government election in Lagos State have raised the alarm over the new guidelines released by the Lagos APC secretariat barring delegates from coming into the primaries election venue with mobile phones.
The primary is scheduled for Saturday 27, May at the Teslim Balogun Stadium, Surulere where all the delegates across the state will converge to elect standard bearers at various local governments in the council election in July.
In the new guideline published in yesterday edition of The Nation newspaper , the party, citing security reasons directed delegates not to come into the venue of the primaries with their mobile phones threatening that the violators of guidelines shall be ‘compulsorily existed’ from the voting arena.
In the same vein, the party insisted in the fresh guidelines that regardless of the outcomes of the primaries, the state Working Committee’s decision will be final and binding on all the aspirants and other stakeholders.
“Notwithstanding the provisions of the guidelines or any other rules of the party, the decision of the APC State Working Committee acting on behalf of APC State Executive Committee shall be final and binding on all aspirants , officers and organs of the party in respect of the primaries election”, the guidelines stated.
Some aspirants across the three senatorial districts of Lagos who pleaded anonymity, spoke exclusively with our correspondent over the development raising the alarm over what they described as ‘spurious guidelines capable of undermining the transparency of the entire process”.
They queried why the party will bar delegates from coming into the congress venue with their phones while the nation’s electoral Act even permits voters to film or record activities at the polling booths with their phones or any other recording devices during general elections.
They warned the party leadership against compromising the process threatening that such moves will be vehemently resisted through legal means.
One the final verdict of State NWC despite primaries outcome, a vocal aspirant in one of the councils in Lagos West district described the provision as undemocratic and draconian.
‘If the State NWC’s decision is final despite the outcomes of the primaries, what then is the usefulness of the primaries? That can’t stand. The constitution of our party is very clear on this matter. They should dare not try anything untoward on Saturday”, the aspirant warned.
