By Yemi Adeleye/Henry Oladele/Lagos
Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, All Progressives Congress (APC) National Leader, on Saturday said that the complaints and protests that followed the party’s primaries for council elections in Lagos showed its popularity.
“You must have competitiveness if you are a popular party,’’ Tinubu told newsmen shortly after casting his vote in the polls at 12:15p.m. at Polling Unit 026 in Ward F, Ikeja LGA.
He expressed confidence that the protests and complaints would not affect the chances of the party in the council elections.
According to Tinubu, a former governor of Lagos State, complaints are normal in democracy.
“There is no way you won’t face the turbulence of democracy – the twists and turns and the complaints.
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“As we have 57 LGAs and LCDAs, the problem is that, to every slot, you have an average of 13 aspirants.
“That is the popularity of our party.
“We can only have one chairman; we can only have one vice; we can only have one ward councillor and you have 18 people in a ward fighting for the seat of a councillor.
“Conflict and conflict resolution are the hallmark of democracy. You have to find a way to resolve all conflicts, and we have done so,” Tinubu said.
He said that it was the resolve of the leadership of the party that 18 chairmen of councils be given automatic tickets to complete their terms.
“We are very transparent about the automatic tickets we gave to 18 chairmen.
“We didn’t say don’t contest, we didn’t say don’t run, we didn’t say don’t vote, we didn’t say you are disqualified or that you don’t have right. Nobody abrogated anybody’s right.”
According to him, where there are complaints, people should watch out against personal interest.
“We need to be patient,” he said.
On security, the APC national leader said that Lagos State remained secure.
On infrastructural development, Tinubu said: “Development is going on across the grassroots.”
The former governor said that voters’ turnout for the council polls showed that Lagos residents had respect for Gov. Akinwunmi Ambode, APC and local councils.
Meanwhile, the Commandant, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, Lagos State Command, Mr Tajudeen Balogun, remarked the elections were peaceful.
“Every area is calm; although there was low turnout of people because of rain, so far so good.
“We hope and pray that everywhere will be peaceful till the end of the voting and even when winners are being declared,” he said.(NAN)
