Dare Babalola
The Chairman of the Lagos State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Cornelius Ojelabi, has attributed the peaceful conduct of the party’s senatorial primary elections in the state to extensive consultation, consensus-building and the willingness of aspirants to place party interest above personal ambition.
Ojelabi, who spoke in an interview with NEWSTELLERS on Tuesday, said there was no crisis in the Lagos APC senatorial primaries held on Monday because the leadership engaged aspirants ahead of the exercise and encouraged “give and take” among stakeholders.
According to him, the party leadership prioritised reconciliation and internal dialogue, which helped reduce tension and produced largely unopposed candidates across the senatorial districts.
“Nothing much, just a matter of question, and the spirit of give and take,” he said, explaining that the outcome reflected tolerance among party members.
He stressed the need for politicians to learn to tolerate one another and prioritise collective interests over personal ambition, warning against actions that could weaken the party from within.
“We need to learn how to tolerate each other, how to put the interests of the party above our personal interest. We should not be seen destroying the house we built together because of our personal interest,” Ojelabi said.
The Lagos APC chairman further explained that the party leadership engaged aspirants seeking various positions and persuaded many to step down in the interest of unity. He said most of them accepted the position of the leadership after consultations.
He noted that the number of serious contestants was relatively small, describing many of the aspirants as experienced and “more or less senior citizens,” which made consensus easier to achieve.
Ojelabi added that through continuous engagement, the party was able to arrive at agreements that produced minimal resistance during the primaries.
On concerns about internal disputes in other states, Ojelabi said the APC has a functional mechanism for conflict resolution and reconciliation, expressing confidence that disagreements arising from primaries across the country would be addressed.
He said the party would not allow internal contests to polarise its structure, adding that a reconciliation committee would be deployed where necessary to resolve grievances.
“The party has a mechanism of resolution. Remember, this election will not polarise the party. A reconciliation committee will be set up,” he said.
Ojelabi expressed optimism that most aggrieved members would eventually align with the party’s decisions, stressing that loyalty to the APC’s progressive ideology should override personal interests.
He further assured that internal disputes witnessed in some states would not affect the party’s chances in future elections, including the 2027 general elections, as efforts were ongoing to manage tensions and rebuild unity.
The Lagos APC primaries were among the few across the country widely described as peaceful and consensus-driven, in contrast to reports of violence, protests and disputed outcomes in several other states, where serving senators and political heavyweights lost tickets amid intense intra-party competition.
