APC congress: Lagos to adopt consensus candidates, says GAC

The Governor’s advisory council (GAC), the highest decision-making body of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Lagos, says the party will adopt consensus candidates for its ward congress scheduled for Saturday, July 31, to elect ward executives.

Tajudeen Olusi, while addressing journalists on behalf of the GAC members after the council meeting held in Lagos, said party officers at all levels had been directed to engage in dialogue that would lead to meaningful reconciliation of those in disagreements.

“We deliberated on the incoming state congresses of our party and later the national convention,” he said.

“We have resolved and directed officers of our party at all levels to engage in dialogue that would lead to meaningful reconciliation of aggrieved members within the party.

“This is in order to ensure that all opinions are accommodated and all members who are willing to serve the party are given positions in the various executive bodies at ward, local and state levels.

“This, we have done and we are sure all officers of our party will follow the consensus decision that we have taken, so as to ensure that all willing members of the party who want to serve are considered.

“We have also directed that they should hold stakeholder meetings at all local government levels.

“This is where leaders and officers will sit down, talk together in the spirit of brotherhood and decide who will lead the party after the congresses,” Olusi said.

Also speaking, Tunde Balogun, Lagos APC chairman of caretaker committee, said the party ward executives would emerge through consensus on Saturday.

Balogun said that APC would hold stakeholders meetings in all the local governments in the state on Thursday.

“Next Saturday, we are having a ward congress which will lead to the formation of our party officials. We are having our stakeholders meeting tomorrow (Thursday) and there, we will decide on what to do.

“The stakeholders’ meeting is taking place in all the 20 local governments in Lagos State; all local governments will hold the meeting.

“We are engaging a lot of stakeholders and we are going to do the ward congress on consensus.

“Consensus arrangement has been adopted by the party.

“We will be doing that for Lagos State. We have decided to adopt the consensus arrangements, which is constitutional. It is part of the provision of our party.”

Commenting on the outcome of last Saturday’s local government elections in the state, Balogun said that APC won the election landslide with about 584,000 votes across the state.

He said that the main opposition party, the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), scored about 81,000 votes.

“We had a peaceful, free, fair and credible election, which was conducted very well by  Lagos State Independent  Electoral Commission (LASIEC),” he added.

“We have to be thankful to the residents and voters in Lagos State, who had shown so much confidence and trust in APC. We will continue to deliver the dividend of democracy.”