NORMAL activities at the Lagos State secretariat of the All Progressives Congress (APC) were on Monday disrupted for several minutes as angry members of the party attacked the party state chairman, Hon Cornelius Ojelabi, and were about pummelling him for the timely invention of sedentary policemen who whisked away.
Sources say before the law enforcement agents’ intervention, the irate party members had succeeded in removing the party chairman’s cap as a way of expressing their displeasure over his stance on the leadership crisis rocking the Alimosho Local Government Area chapter of the party.
The protesters, who had converged at the party secretariat in Acme, Ogba, were said to have embarked on the act when Mr Ojelabi reportedly turned down their request for a possible solution to the intractable leadership crisis rocking the party in the local government area.
The protesting party members had recommended that the party leadership in the state recognize all former public officeholders, especially ex-lawmakers in the House of Representatives and Lagos House of Assembly from the council area as a way of addressing the challenges threatening peace and harmony within the party in the local government area.
But rather than accept their requests, Mr Ojelabi reportedly insisted that the current public officeholders must be on seat during a meeting that will deliberate on their wish and recommendation for APC in Alimosho.
Eyewitnesses say the protest could have further degenerated but for the intervention of the security personnel at the secretariat who rescued the chairman and whisked him away from the claws of the angry party men who were hellbent on inflicting bodily injuries on the chairman.
In a series of videos of the event, the party men were seen armed with placards bearing different inscriptions to express their displeasure over the leadership tussle that had affected the party’s progress in the council area.
In some of the inscriptions, the members, who were led by former House of Representatives and state Assembly members, Bisi Yusuf and Olufemi Adebanjo (popularly called Eyes Open) insisted: “We want peace in Alimosho”
The demonstration reportedly started peacefully but the utterances of the chairman even after realising that the demonstrations were led by senior members of the party, Yusuf and Adebanjo, angered the members who further accused Ojelabi of allegedly taking sides in the leadership tussle. They chanted many unprintable invectives, alleging that the party under Ojelabi’s leadership had become corrupt and that the executive members were biased in their judgement on issues that concern members.
Efforts made by Mr Ojelabi to pacify angry party members were fruitless as they chanted insisting on the chairman succumbing to their position.
Shortly after the protests from party members from the Alimosho local government area, another set of members from Lagos Mainland also stormed the party secretariat, demanding that the APC executive in the state immediately wade into a leadership crisis rocking the party in the council.
Responding to the protest, the party’s spokesperson, Seye Oladejo, stated that the demonstration degenerated after hoodlums stormed the party secretariat and hijacked the protest.
Oladejo, in a statement made available to newsmen, assured Lagosians that the party under the leadership of Mr Ojelabi will resolve the crisis, saying since assuming office, the party chairman has been working to restore peace and harmony among APC members across the state.
Mr Oladejo wrote: “As much as this sensational piece of news might throw the opposition camp into premature celebration, the incident was a storm in a teacup.
“Since the resumption of office as the State Chairman, Hon Cornelius Ojelabi has continuously sought the peaceful co-existence of all party members in every nook and cranny of the state. It is on record that he has, at various times, been able to successfully reconcile warring party members across board to ensure cohesion.
“The incident today was about a meeting convened to reconcile the different factions of the party in Alimosho Local Government Area which was unfortunately infiltrated by uninvited thugs with ulterior motives.
“We appreciate the security agencies for promptly bringing the situation under control.
“The victory of the progressives in Lagos State since the inception of this dispensation has been due to life-changing policies by our responsive and responsible governments and strict compliance with party discipline.
“Lagos State APC has a time-tested mechanism for settling disputes and will not hesitate to wield the big stick if need be.
“The sacrifices of the founding fathers of the party to engender democracy cannot be sacrificed on the altar of indiscipline and intolerance.
“We acknowledge protests as an integral part of democracy, but it has to be within acceptable norms without infringing on the rights of others”, he stated.
Eighteen-Eleven Media