Following assaults on the chairman, Lagos chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Cornelius Ojelabi, the party’s leadership has threatened to penalize two leaders from Alimosho Local Government, Bisi Yusuf and Olufemi Adebanjo popularly called Eyes Open, other members that disgraced the chairman at its Secretariat in Ikeja.
As gathered, it said that except Bisi.and Adebanjo, who were both former lawmakers that have previously represented Alimosho at the House of Representatives and Lagos House of Assembly, as well as other members that assaulted the party chairman tender public apologies to the party as well as the chairman over the act.
The party threat came hours after the lawmakers led angry members to protest at the APC secretariat over leadership crisis that had being rocking the party in Alimosho, which the members claim could jeopardize their chances during the 2025 Lagos council polls.
Although the demonstration started peacefully but later turned rowdy with the party chairman escaping beaten through aid of the law enforcement officers after angry members had removed his cap during altercation on possible solutions to the crisis rocking the Alimosho chapel of APC.
The party, in a letter by its secretary, Ademola Jokomba, has demanded that they apologize within seven days to the chairman as well as the party to avoid being sanctioned for their conducts which has ridiculed the APC status in the state.
In the letter sent to the party leaders and their members, it was learnt that the APC described the demonstration as well as the assault on Ojelabi at its secretariat as wrongful act which it would never condole from any member of the ruling party.
It would be recalled that after the demonstration degenerated, the angry members allegedly removed his cap to express their displeasure over his stance on the leadership crisis rocking Alimosho Local Governments.
The protesters, who had converged at the party Secretariat in Acme, Ikeja, assaulted the chairman after Ojelabi totally turned down their request on possible solutions to end the leadership crisis rocking the party chapel in Alimosho.
The protesting party members had recommended that the party leadership in the state recognizes all former public officeholders especially ex-lawmakers in the House of Representatives and Lagos House of Assembly from the council, to address the challenges bedeviling the peace and Harmony.withim the council.
But rather than accept their requests, Ojelabi insisted that the current public officeholders must be on seat during a meeting that will deliberate on their wish and recommendation for APC in Alimosho.
Realizing that Ojelabi wasn’t going to yield to their recommendation, the members began to assault him but the intervention of the security agencies at the Secretariat in Ikeja, who rescued the chairman and whisked him away from the claws of the angry members.
In series of videos obtained by The Guild, the members were seen armed with placards bearing different inscriptions to express their displeasure over the leadership tussle that had affected the party’s progress in the council.
In some of the inscription seen by our correspondent, the members, who were led by former House of Representative and Assembly members, Bisi Yusuf and Olufemi Adebanjo, popularly called Eyes Open, said: “we want peace in Alimosho.
The demonstration, as gathered, started peacefully but the utterances of the chairman even after realizing that the demonstrations were led by senior members of the party, Yusuf and Adebanjo, angered the members who further accused Ojelabi of allegedly taking side in the leadership tussle.
They chanted many unprinted words, alleging that the party under Ojelabi’s leadership has become corrupt and that the executive members were bias in their judgement on issues that concerns members.
While chanting this words, our correspondent observed that the chairman was busy explaining reasons for his stance but at this time, the angry members were not interested in his side of the story.
