All eyes are on Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, national chairman of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and the National Working Committee (NWC) of the party on solution to the political impasse currently rocking Lagos East Senatorial district.

There is currently a bone of contention in the senatorial district as Senator Gbenga Ashafa, the lawmaker representing the district in the National Assembly and Honourable Bayo Osinowo, a member of the Lagos State House of Assembly are both laying claim to winning the controversial election that was held last week.

The NWC of the APC had last week released the names of senatorial aspirants cleared to contest the National Assembly elections nationwide. In Lagos State, the three senators, namely Oluremi Tinubu (Lagos Central), Olamilekan Adeola (Lagos West) and Gbenga Ashafa (Lagos East) were all cleared to contest the election. Though he purchased the form , appeared before the panel and was screened by the committee, Osinowo’s name did not appear on the list of senatorial aspirants cleared by the NWC to participate in the election.

In Lagos West, the NWC also disqualified Hon. Kayode Opeifa, a former Lagos State Commissioner for Transportation and secretary of Transportation, Federal Capital Territory (FCT) from participating in the election. Bowing to party supremacy, Opeifa withdrew from the race and urged his supporters to vote for Senator Adeola who was cleared by the NWC.

Opeifa said no matter how accepted he has been in the senatorial district , he cannot afford to go against the interest of the national leadership of the party who felt otherwise, urging his teeming supporters to abide by the decision.

In Lagos Central, Senator Tinubu who is seeking a third term contested the election unopposed as no politician in the senatorial district dare contest against the wife of the party’s national leader, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu.
However, this was not the case as Osinowo popularly called ‘Pepper’ rejected the verdict of the party’s national leadership and decided to contest the election against all odds.
Speaking on the development, Primate Charles Odugbesi, the Director General of Osinowo’s Campaign group, said there was no iota of truth in the information that Osinowo has been disqualified. He said members of the APC in Lagos East should be wary of those who are afraid of the lawmaker. ‘They know they cannot win and they now want to cause confusion. It is a bug lie. Osinowo is still in the race. We have the assurance of the leadership of the party on that,” he said.

With the leadership of the state chapter of the party failing to restrain him, the lawmaker, one of the longest serving in the House of Assembly went ahead with the election.

The primary election witnessed violence in the district with a former Chairmanship aspirant in Kosofe Local Government area, Hon Ibrahim Mustapha, narrowly escaping death when suspected political thugs attacked him at Anthony Village with machete. He is currently on admission at a private hospital, Life Fountain Hospital, Anthony, Lagos. Many party faithful who trooped out to affirm Ashafa’s candidacy following the report of Osinowo’s disqualification were injured.

One of the voters named Monsuru Adebiyi who spoke to journalists lamented how fully-loaded buses, about 17 of them, brought thugs who were majorly from the northern extraction to the particular ward, disallowing anyone who displayed their sign to go in and vote.

Adebiyi said, “We were told that Pepper has been disqualified, but we were alarmed to see how thugs here are shouting his name telling anyone who cared to listen that it’s either him (Pepper) or nobody. In fact the thugs at a point over-powered the security agents on ground.”

In a statement, Ashafa condemned the violence, appealing to Osinowo to respect the decision of the party. “It has become imperative for all men of good conscience to call Hon. Osinowo to order by immediately calling off this brazen show of violence being witnessed in the Kosofe Axis. At Kosofe Ward F in Ikosi Ketu, it took the intervention of the Nigerian Police force to restore the semblance of order after thugs wearing caps and insignia of Hon Bayo Osinowo “Pepper” started shooting sporadically and brandishing cutlasses to scare away party members. This was also the case in Agboyi Ward F and other places.
“For the past 7 and a half years, Lagos East has always been a peaceful district and has held intra party elections without violence or harassment of party members and officials”.
The election was later called off and rescheduled. Daily Independent gathered that many of Ashafa’s supporters refused to participate in the exercise claiming it is illegal for Osinowo to contest since he has been disqualified by the national leadership of the party.
However while announcing the results of the primary at the weekend, Chairman of the APC Electoral Committee of the National Assembly and State House of Assembly primaries in Lagos, Mr. Lucky Imasuen declared Osinowo the winner with 243, 734 votes while Ashafa polled 20, 385.
Rejecting the outcome of the result in Lagos East, Ashafa said: “A report has been making the rounds across a few media houses, alleging the announcement of Bayo Oshinowo as the winner of the Lagos East senatorial election.
“This unconfirmed report has caused palpable tension within the district due to the failure of the state party to make an official statement on the matter.
“There is no way results of an election would have been announced if what took place was an affirmation. Furthermore, it would be juvenile to declare an individual (Osinowo), who did not scale through the screening process of the party the winner of an election he was not qualified for.”
While speaking with Daily Independent on Monday, Alhaji Tunde Balogun, state chairman of the party said Osinowo is the candidate of APC for Lagos East having defeated Ashafa in the primary.

"Bayo Osinowo is the new candidate of APC for Lagos East senatorial district. He won the election over the weekend defeating the incumbent senator. Remember there was a rerun election.
When asked why Osinowo contested the election despite not being cleared by NWC, Balogun said “ He ran and the NWC upheld the result of the election”.

When contacted, Yekini Nabena, the National Publicity Secretary of APC said the party will only act and make pronouncement after receiving briefing from the Lucky Imasuen-led committee that conducted the primary in Lagos.
“What is going to happen is that the committee will get back to us on what they have done so far before we now arrive at our decision. At this point, we cannot say anything”.

“You are the one telling me now, we have not heard from the committee. We need to look at our records, it is not something I can say off-hand. So, when they come with their report, we will check our records to see those that are cleared and are not cleared. Then, we will now act on it” he said.

However, a chieftain of the party who spoke to our correspondent said Oshiomhole should be decisive on the matter the way he acted in the issue surrounding Senator Shehu Sani, lawmaker representing Kaduna Central.

“ We appeal to Oshiomhole to be decisive and make it clear that nobody can flout the directive of the party and go scot-free the way he did in Senator Shehu Sani’s case. We should not condone impunity in this party”.

“Those goading Osinowo knows that he is ineligible to contest having been disqualified by the NWC. If Ashafa loses the election because his constituents rejects him, fine. It shouldn’t be because some powerful people want him out at all cost because they want another lawmaker to be the longest serving senator in the state”
“ They should remember that the APC will need the support of these senators when the National Assembly reconvenes” he said.
https://independent.ng/oshiomhole-and-the-stalemate-in-lagos-east-senatorial-district/

I heard Senator Ashafa stepped down. If not, he is the candidate no matter what Pepper does

Lol

Ok now

Apc n incompetence is like 5 & 6.... abeg wey dat Zuma pix

Ashafa is just a greedy pig, he should step down and allow someone else take over already and I hope [/b]Pastor[b] Mrs Remi Tinubu knows that greed is a sin as well.

Roforofo fight

Oshobaba has no solution to profer than to make noise and support the higher bidder between the duo.

By coming Nigerians will celebrate and honour Oshiomole as the person who finally nailed the coffin of this evil party

Pepper dem gang..

WHAT IS TINUBU's POSITION ON THIS MATTER?

tobtap:
Apc n incompetence is like 5 & 6.... abeg wey dat Zuma pix

I tell you, Very Useless party.

Pepperito ... Make them free the guy abeg.

I prefer Honorable Bayo Osinowo to Mr Eye kon gba jare

Gbenga Ashafa is non entity politician.Despite constituency allowance, no single development in Agbede -Ikorodu and its environs.This man has nothing to offer than to single handedly siphoning the public fund.Idiot pig should go .

mbolajide2010:
For sale at a give away price of 5m. Owner is travelling out and needs the money urgently.

Call 07031210069

if, truly your client needs money urgently let him reduce the price to 2.5m then we can talk. All the best.

But Ashafa has already accepted defeat and has promised to work with the party.

“Those goading Osinowo knows that he is ineligible to contest having been disqualified by the NWC. If Ashafa loses the election because his constituents rejects him, fine. It shouldn’t be because some powerful people want him out at all cost because they want another lawmaker to be the longest serving senator in the state”
The emboldened, we know who's playing the tune for Pepper

Ashafa should rest

But Oshiomhole is a bias and lily-livered politician. How can you disqualify a man and Tinubu asked him to contest yet you looked the other way? Yet he disqualified former IGP Suleiman Abba from contesting?

Mopolchi:
Ashafa should rest

Why should he go and rest?

The two of them have issues Ashafa has gone twice and should allow another person to go but my issue is that the person trying to replace him is not better, some that has been in the house of assembly for 16 years and couldn't hold down a leadership role in the house and can't even chair any committee for 16 years are you saying he will be awake to his responsibilities when he get to the senate. They are the kingmakers in the assembly and people that gives the governor wahala if he doesn't yield to their demands . He has boys which is what he wants to use to take over the position but his he better.

Why all this confusion? APC leaders should in Lagos should know they have electorate to deal with so we don't have another 1993 scenario playing out in 2019.

Chei! I did not know the office of the national chairman of a party is this powerful o, until oshomole became one. So the national chairman can play a fast one on the president or any aspirant and have him disqualified be DAT!

go sit down jor!!! where is olorunbe mamora? na turn by turn.