Ahead of the council polls in Lagos, some chairmanship aspirants have advised the All Progressives Congress not to subvert democratic processes in its primaries.

The aspirants from Ojokoro LCDA of Lagos stated this on Monday.

Speaking on behalf of 12 aspirants, Segun Sekoni and Mustapha Rasheed said in a statement that good leaders would not emerge through imposition.

The forum said democracy thrived well and delivered its dividends when the process of selecting leaders was credible, transparent and acceptable to all participants.

According to the group, the APC hierarchy in Lagos should not give in to false claims of a consensus endorsement of a particular as the LCDA’s chairmanship candidate.

The group said such an idea, being sold and accepted by the party hierarchy in the state, remained a deception, misleading and untrue.

“This claim suggests that a consensus has been reached within the All Progressives Congress (APC) to adopt (a candidate) as the party’s sole chairmanship candidate in Ojokoro LCDA.

“We wish to categorically state that this claim is false, deceptive, and aimed at misleading the public. We call on the Lagos State leadership of the APC and all relevant authorities to ensure that Ojokoro LCDA conducts a transparent, fair, and credible primary election.

“No individual or clique has the right to impose candidates against the will of the people. Let it be known: Ojokoro is not for sale. The people must decide,” the aspirants said.

According to them, the list being shared is merely an attendance list from a meeting with the speaker of the Lagos parliament.

“There was no agreement, no vote, and no consensus decision reached at that meeting. This act of misinformation is a desperate attempt to gain undue advantage and subvert the democratic process,” the group added.

Aspirants in the forthcoming council poll have raised concerns over imposition and indirect primaries being adopted by the party for candidates’ selection.

(NAN)