Lagos State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has settled for a 36-year-old Dayo Israel and former Lagos State Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Mr. Lateef Ibirogba as National Youth Leader and South-West Zonal Organising Secretary respectively in today’s APC National Convention. 

The decision of the Lagos APC was announced by the party chairman, Pastor Cornelius Ojebabi during a dinner organised for party chieftains and delegates at the Lagos Governor’s Lodge, Abuja on Friday night by Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu. 

The dinner was attended by Governor Sanwo-Olu, his deputy, Dr. Obafemi Hamzat; Lagos APC chairman, Pastor Cornelius Ojelabi; members of the Governance Advisory Council (GAC), the apex leadership body of Lagos APC; members of National Assembly from Lagos State; Lagos State House of Assembly members; State Executive Council members and Chairmen of the Local Governments in Lagos State, among others. 

Speaking during the dinner, Governor Sanwo-Olu, who commended all the party leaders and delegates for traveling from Lagos to Abuja to participate in the APC national convention, expressed his support for Israel and Ibirogba as chosen by the party to represent Lagos in the National Working Committee as well as the South West level of the APC.

“They have shown our two candidates that we are bringing forward; the National Youth Leader, Dayo Isreal from Lagos Island in Lagos Central, and Mr. Lateef Ibirogba from Alimosho in Lagos West. We are sure that they will represent us very well,” he said. 

Mr Ojelabi commended the governor for putting together the dinner and his contribution to the progress of the party. He also commended the delegates for traveling from Lagos for the convention. 

The APC chairman implored the delegates to work for the emergence of Dayo Israel and Lateef Ibirogba as National Youth Leader and South-West Zonal Organising Secretary Organising respectively. 

He said: “We are determined to have a successful National Convention to put in place a democratically elected National Working Committee of APC for the next four years. The Unity List would be provided as we proceed to the venue of the convention. 

“We have our person who is going to represent the good people of Lagos State in the National Working Committee. We are presenting someone who is going to galvanise to ensure that the youths vote for our party in Lagos State and at the national level during the 2023 general elections. He is Dayo Isreal. We are presenting him as the National Youth Leader. I want you all to canvass for him. He is a dynamic youth, who knows what it takes to mobilise and galvanise the youths to support our party. 

“I also want to present to you the Zonal Organising Secretary, who is going to represent all of us at the South-West level. I have the honor to introduce Mr. Lateef Ibirogba, who will be contesting for the post of Zonal Organising Secretary,” he added.

The development neutralised the campaign of Olusegun Dada, a member of the ruling party who ran an arduous campaign for the youth leadership position online.

Mr Dada admitted on Saturday morning that Mr Israel’s endorsement by party leaders might not be illegal, but nonetheless argued such a process should be devoid of imposition.

“I recognise consensus as one of party’s acceptable leadership selection methods, which is completely legal and constitutional,” Mr Dada said on Twitter. “However, I’m convinced that for consensus to abide, it must be all-inclusive and devoid of any vestige of imposition.”