APC Congresses: We Have Attained Internal Democracy, Says Lagos Group

BEVERLY HILLS, CA, April 05, (THEWILL) - A group within the Lagos State chapter of All Progressives Congress (APC), New Lagos Movement, has hailed Saturday's ward congresses of the party held throughout the state.

Maintaining that the party has achieved internal democracy through the success of the exercise despite attempts by some members to disrupt it , the group hinged the success on the determination of the National Leader of the party, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, to entrench internal democracy in the party.

A statement issued by the President of the group, Mr.

Niyi Akinsiju, said: 'The Ward Congresses of our party, All Progressives Congress, has come and gone with special thanks to the National Leader of our party, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, who democratically listened to the yearnings of our members for an all-inclusive process of selecting the leaders of the party at different levels in the various Local Governments of Lagos State.

'It would be recalled that we, in the New Lagos Movement, a political movement within our great party, All Progressives Congress, issued a press statement a few days ago calling on all and sundry to prevail on some expired politicians whose political relevance and value are non-existent, from perpetuating their undemocratic practices and tendencies in this dispensation.

'The said old politicians within our party are in the habit of presenting threats of non-existent violence to the National Leader with which they had always succeeded in persuading him and some other party leaders to allow them impose their children, political stooges and lackeys in the various party offices, public and elected offices without any semblance of democratic pretensions.

'On Saturday, the 5th day of April, 2014, the said worthless elders within the party still tried it again but they failed woefully.

They tried to persuade us against holding a congress but we refused.

We thank Asiwaju Bola Tinubu that he did not pander to their subterfuges and thereby allowed democracy to prevail.

'We have held the congresses all over the State and the said expired politicians, whose children and stooges have always undeservedly and undemocratically reaped the fruits of our political toil, tried to scuttle the process but they met brick walls in most places.

'The said elders had assured their stooges all political benefits at the expense of other people who command substantial political capital but whose popularity would never be allowed to be proved by the insidious culture of imposition shamelessly perpetrated by these elders.

'In Mushin, the said elders sponsored some thugs to disrupt the congress but were prevented by the ever-vigilant members of our party.

In Ifako-Ijaiye, they brought their retinue of thugs to cause commotion and did the same in some parts of Kosofe Local Government.

We have it on record that in Coker-Aguda, their thugs were so vicious that the electoral process was put in jeopardy.

'We must re-iterate that such ignominious activities shall not be tolerated again.

We must warn them to come out and put their political relevance to test and stop using other people's children to unleash terror while they are positioning their own sons, daughters and lackeys for political appointments and securing election party tickets for them.

'Once again, we thank Asiwaju Bola Tinubu for allowing the roots of democracy to be firmly planted on our political soil in All Progressives Congress and implore him to allow this democratic process to fully germinate in deciding party candidates for general elections.

'We thank all our party members for turning out en masse for the exercise and wish all of us victory which we very much deserve in all elections being the party in the majority.

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