Amid the crisis rocking the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Somolu local government area of Lagos State, stakeholders and party loyalists have called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to intervene in what they describe as an injustice in the party’s chairmanship selection process.
In a joint appeal, the stakeholders said the man at the centre of the controversy is Hon. Bowale Sosimi, a grassroots politician and long-time APC loyalist, who was reportedly endorsed as the consensus candidate by the local party structure.
They alleged that his name was dropped in favour of another aspirant in a last-minute twist, leading to widespread anger and allegations of manipulation.
The Chairman-General of the Shomolu Muslim community, Alhaji Alabi Yunusa, faulted a letter said to have been written by the Chief Imam of Somolu, Sheikh Boonyamin Dabiri, appealing for the selection of a Muslim candidate.
He said key Muslim leaders have distanced themselves from the letter, describing it as unauthorised and not representative of the community’s position, as the Chief Imam acted unilaterally and has no administrative authority to speak on political matters.
He emphasized that the Chairman-General and the General Secretary must sign all official correspondence. Alhaji Rabiu Fatai, the General Secretary, reaffirmed this, calling the Imam’s letter an aberration.
Alhaja Nurat Lawal, the Iya Suna of the community, also condemned the politicisation of religion, warning that past Muslim chairmen have not delivered significant benefits to the Muslim population.
She called for fairness and balance, stressing that religious bias must not determine political leadership at the grassroots.
They urge President Tinubu to investigate the matter, reverse the decision, and restore Hon. Sosimi’s candidacy.
According to them, this is not the first time Hon. Sosimi has faced such a political setback, pointing out that in 2017, his name was similarly withdrawn from the Lagos State Independent Electoral Commission (LASIEC) list after a last-minute change to the party’s nomination process — a move allegedly orchestrated by some political big wigs in the state.
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