“I ‘m impressed,”Gbajabiamila hails APC primaries in Surulere

The Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, on Wednesday described the All Progressives Congress (APC) House of Assembly primary election in Surulere Constituency I as peaceful, fair, and orderly.

Gbajabiamila spoke with newsmen after participating in the primary election at Ward G2 (Adeniran Ogunsanya Ward 5), situated at Alaka Housing Estate, Surulere, Lagos.

The former Speaker of the House of Representatives said he was impressed by the conduct of party members and the peaceful atmosphere that characterised the exercise.

“You know, this is my ward, Ward G2, and I have been voting here in Ward G2 for as long as I have been in politics.

“And anytime I come to vote, whatever office or election it is, my reaction is always the same. When I see peaceful, fair, credible, orderly elections, I am always very happy.

“And that is exactly what I have seen today,” he said.

Gbajabiamila noted that the turnout for the exercise was impressive despite the fact that it was a party primary election.

“The turnout, considering that we are talking about primaries here, has been very impressive. People have been peaceful and orderly.

“The election has been free and transparent, and I am happy to see that. So, I congratulate the people of Ward G2,” he said.

The presidential aide added that reports reaching him from other wards indicated that the exercise was peaceful across the constituency.

“From what I am hearing, the feedback I am getting, it is the same across the board,” he said.

Speaking with our correspondent at the venue, Mr Ekundayo Decker, Chairman of the Leaders Forum in Ward G2, described the exercise as a reflection of good internal democracy within the APC.

Decker said the process was conducted peacefully without any form of violence or disruption.

“Well, this is a pure democratic process. We have seen that the numbers are more and the voting went fine.

“There was no fight, there was nothing, no problem, nothing,” he said.

On his advice to aspirants participating in the primary election, Decker urged contestants and their supporters to embrace sportsmanship and accept the outcome of the process in good faith.

“It is a game of sports. Any side that wins, good. The other side should please embrace the winner,” he said.

Our correspondent reports that Surulere Constituency I was a flashpoint in Wednesday’s APC primaries.

In the constituency, a female party and Gbajabiamila-backed aspirant, Mrs Barakat Odunuga-Bakare is battling for the APC ticket with a third-term incumbent lawmaker, Desmond Elliott, who is seeking a fourth-term at the State Assembly