February 26th to 27th
The frustration from the outcome of the 2023 presidential election is still booming at Alimosho, the largest Local Government Area in Lagos State as different factions among the APC party members keep pointing accusing fingers at each other with Hon. Adejoke Orelope Adefulire as the central figure.
Hon. Adejoke Orelope’s team in a recent rejoinder to a earlier publication titled: “Hon. Adejoke Orelope-Adefulire Bankrolled and Mobilised for the Electoral Success of Her Brother While Undermining the Larger Interest of APC in Alimosho”, that indicted her. Many claims debunked, but the many aggrieved groups which includes the Alimosho Liberation Movement refused to be persuaded.
In a recent statement sent to African Narrators, many points were raised:
“Having bested APC in the presidential election result tally LP, PDP and their allied parties in Alimosho LGA dropped and relaxed their guard, expecting same pattern from the senate and house of representatives results, but INEC’s diligent collation placed APC in the lead. This did not go down well with these parties, by now the military men and officers deployed had retired back to base. Effort to call for a recount was shelved as INEC insisted on moving to the State headquarters.
“ASM leads having realized the enormity of the development were quick to put the blame on BATCO Mandate Group and Alhaji Enilolobo.
“They saw no fault in the failures of their ward collating agents, their polling unit agents, their campaign boycotts, their non funding of campaign projects, the ghost names submitted as 15 man polling unit canversers and above all the cashless policy of the federal government that completely crippled mobilization.
A bad name must be given to BATCO Mandate Group in order to hang it. Unknown to them APC Campaign consultants Messers Fouad Oki and Tokunbo Afikuyomi were abreasts of these developments and did all they could in alliance with Alhaji Enilolobo to turn the presidential election result tide but it was to no avail.
“When confronted on why she changed APC Agents to ASM members, Adejoke Orelope Adefulire claimed it was done to reflect the 55:45 power sharing agreement, and the two lists were married together by Team Oki without recourse to her for certification. She was reminded that the agreement was for Alimosho APC Mainstream to take the lead in the presidential and national assembly elections, while ASM takes the lead in the subsequent elections. She prayed that the constituency moved forward as one toward the gubernatorial and state house of assembly elections, wherein her biological brother is a candidate.
Pre March 18 gubernatorial and state house of assembly elections
“The dry and docile ASM main secretariat in Egbeda suddenly became a beehive of activities post February 25th elections.
“Mega campaign posters, banners, fliers and exercise books in their tens of thousands were being distributed to ASM members to campaign for Luqmon Orelope in the four councils that constitute Alimosho state constituency 01. Nothing was availed the two councils that constituted Alimosho state constituency 02.
“ASM members were stopped from attending Alimosho APC meetings. Door to door campaign portions sent to the Alimosho federal constituency was cornered by ASM and deployed toward the election of Luqmon Orelope.
The sabotage within ASM
“Alimosho APC Mainstream did not deploy exercise books in her Door to Door campaigns, ASM did. However words got out that a leaflet with the vote LP inscription was inserted into some of these exercises books.
“If Alimosho APC Mainstream were accorded these exercise books by ASM, for the Party’s door to door campaigns, the blame for this development would have been charged to the group. But providence made it an exclusive affair of ASM.
“The culprits are those not satisfied that Orelope Adefulire nominated her brother to fly the flag of the party. Over 14 aspirants of the ASM stock showed interest in the ticket.
“There is also the silent cry of ASM House of Representatives aspirants who were pained Orelope Adefulire pooled them out of LP, when the ticket went to Alimosho APC Mainstream in the primaries.
“Alimosho United Front are not happy they are not accommodated in substantive party office positions for breaking ranks with Alimosho Mainstream having being lured out through Chief Sunday Aboyade members who were not accommodated in the Party executive structure.
“They had axe to grind with Orelope Adefulire. Alimosho APC Veterans and Alimosho APC Liberation Movement who shared the 12 man Party executive slots six a piece, leaving out AUF.
“Alimosho Liberation Movement leads and members are not happy that Adejoke Orelope Adefulire chose her biological brother to pick the prime prize of their collective struggle
“Alimosho Liberation Movement are in dire straits having been the platform with which Adejoke Orelope Adefulire led Alimosho Veterans connected to Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the 50 50 deal between the two groups is not being followed to the letter, they often allege.
“Suddenly words got out that Alimosho APC Mainstream instructed members to deliver LP. Adunni Akindele ASM nomination as Mosan Okunola LCDA APC Chairman is said to be behind the tissue of lies. The Party openly dared her to present any evidence to the ascertion, till date no response has come from that quarter.
Campaign Funds Controversy
“To cover for ASM lapses and divert attention of members away from the burning issues. Leads of ASM and aides of Orelope Adefulire started complaining openly about deployment of real and imaginary campaign funds.
“It is a widely held knowledge that the presidential and national assembly campaign funds were handled by the party consultants who credited the accounts of party agents and party canversers pre submitted before the election day. This was the pattern statewide.
“The gubernatorial and state house of assembly elections campaign fund was and could be routed via the Ward Chairmen, due to the the Supreme Court pronouncement that voided the cashless policy of the Central Bank of Nigeria.
Alimosho APC Mainstream Determined Move
“Unperturbed by the actions, inactions and antics of Orelope Adefulire and her minions, Alimosho APC Mainstream commenced door to door campaigns in the six councils in the constituency. In the three week window before the phase two of the general elections.
“The Party disbanded the 15 man per polling unit canversers’ team, trained all Party members to serve as canversers, enpanelled and trained party agents specially, all shadow electioneering teams were enpanelled in the 1,545 polling units in Alimosho LGA to assure the party’s victory, ward and LGA collators were rejigged.
“The six council chairmen took complete charge of the election structure and management in their respective domains. ASM was not even allowed to play a second fiddle this time.
March 18th election
“By 12 noon the hand writing was on the wall, the result was different, Alimosho APC took her pride of place, as the vote capital of APC in Lagos State with over 83,000 votes, the highest by any LGA in the State.
“The masters of Alimosho politics delivered given the room to do so without, the patronage and entitled culture of the Orelope Adefulire led ASM.
Many revelations still on the way”