Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, has praised the conduct of the All Progressives Congress (APC) House of Assembly primary election in Surulere Constituency I, describing the exercise as peaceful, fair and credible.
Gbajabiamila spoke with journalists on Wednesday after casting his vote at Ward G2, also known as Adeniran Ogunsanya Ward 5, in Alaka Housing Estate, Surulere, Lagos.
The former Speaker of the House of Representatives said he was pleased with the orderly conduct of party members during the primary election.
“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 voter participation was impressive despite the exercise being limited to party delegates and members.
“The turnout, considering that we are talking about primaries here, has been very impressive. People have been peaceful and orderly,” he stated.
According to him, reports from other wards across the constituency also indicated that the exercise was proceeding smoothly.
“From what I am hearing, the feedback I am getting, it is the same across the board,” he added.
Meanwhile, Ekundayo Decker, Chairman of the Leaders Forum in Ward G2, commended the peaceful atmosphere during the primary, describing it as a demonstration of internal democracy within the APC.
He said the voting process was conducted without violence or disruption.
“This is a pure democratic process. We have seen that the numbers are more and the voting went fine,” Decker said.
“There was no fight, there was nothing, no problem.”
He advised all contestants and their supporters to embrace the outcome of the election regardless of the result.
“It is a game of sports. Any side that wins, good. The other side should please embrace the winner,” he added.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Surulere Constituency I attracted significant attention during the APC primaries due to the contest between Barakat Odunuga-Bakare and incumbent legislator Desmond Elliott.
Odunuga-Bakare is reportedly backed by Gbajabiamila, while Elliott is seeking a fourth consecutive term in the Lagos State House of Assembly.
