Few weeks ago, we reported the current crisis rocking All Progressive Congress Lagos state chapter on the upcoming local government election.
However the situation on Friday24th March, 2017 took another dimension in Ojodu LCDA when a member of House of Representatives representing Ikeja federal constituency Hon. James Abiodun Faleke waded into the crisis as the ward leader of the constituency. The self-acclaimed Tinubu’s Loyalist allegedly told the party executives in Ojodu sometimes ago that Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu ordered former 19 local executives chairman who just finished one term to return to office without primaries.
In swift response to this development some local government executives agreed while some did not agree.
Ojodu local development area is one the affected area where over 90 percent of the party excos had totally refused the coming back of Mr Julius Oloro.
The excos has shown their grievances and total rejection of Mr Oloro when they organise a well-managed protest to party leaders within the constituency, also a letter has been written to Tinubu to please consider the excos demand by allowing them to do primaries.
After all this, on Friday the Kogi born cum Lagos politician Hon. James Faleke in his capacity single handedly called for a meeting with the excos of the ward, where he suspended the youth leader of the ward Mr. Akeem.
In this regard, a reliable source revealed to us that ‘ Faleke’s reign in Ojodu is coming to an end gradually because nobody in that axis is ever praying for the return of Oloro as LG chairman in Ojodu’. He said further that not up to 10 excos can point out to what Oloro did in his first 3years reign as chairman talk less of the common electorate on the street.
A reliable source, very close to Faleke also confided in Society Reporters NG that Faleke himself is allegedly not in support of Oloro but he has negotiated Oloro’s return with a popular Lagos lawyer, a Senior Advocates Of Nigeria (SAN) if he wins Kogi’s election tribunal. But now that he didn’t win the tribunal why is he still clamoring for Oloro’s return at the expense of right thinking Ojodu APC executive members. He said ‘ they should please help them ask Faleke why Oloro must return ‘.
He said further that ‘ Our indefatigable leader, a man of honour, highly respected, man of the people who knows the value of party executives and will always stand by the people, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, will not impose a man like Oloro on us in Ojodu’. Grassroots politics must be sustained for us to win subsequent elections.
One of the party leaders in Ojodu said Faleke during Kogi Gubernatorial campaign told the Kogi people that he is back at home fully to consolidate on what is on ground and that he has no interest in Lagos politics anymore, but “to my surprise the same Faleke wants us to follow a man who has failed us woefully, is that possible” He inquired.
We also gathered that Faleke has been alleged to be threatening party executives and aspirants on Oloro’s issue claiming they are going against Asiwaju’s wish.
When we contacted Honorable James Faleke on the above allegations he told us this is his ward and he is the head and has the right as a democrat to move some motions to the above claims, and agreed to the fact that he truly suspended the youth leader of the ward at their last Friday excos meeting.
“You are talking about my ward now, The youth leader that was suspended has been my boy since 2003, and I wasn’t at home, I was in Abuja when I heard that the council held a meeting at the local government secretariat and the youth leader led some members of hoodlums and thugs to the meeting threatening them, and damaged a lot of things at the secretariat and destroyed many things that belong to traders around.”
He added that he cannot keep his fingers crossed and some so called people will be destroying his ward in the name of playing politics.
In his word Hon. Falake stressed further:
“I heard my ward youth leader was among them. And I called the ward exco for a meeting where he (Youth Leader) was invited and I asked him if he ever mentioned it to any party exco members when they went to threaten them. And he said no”.
And he himself is also trying to contest for the position of councilor in this same ward, and yet he went to the place and destroy party properties, so I asked him if he can invite those who came to the place, that until then, I moved a motion for him to be suspended which is within my right.
And the motion was supported by the majority of the party members. He yelled.
We asked him further if it was true according to what we heard that the 23 members did not support except for just 6 members that supported his motion for the suspension, and in his rhetorical response he asked if that was what we were told.
“Is it what they told you that you believe, or what I’m telling you”.
Adding further that, “I am a democrats and I understand the game of democracy, so that was why I invited them all to the meeting. Just two people refused to support and I told them that it is your right not to support.
As a leader of the ward it is still my right to find peace within my ward and take necessary actions to the effect. What if somebody had died at the crisis, what do you think people will be saying by now. So I concluded for him to go back and get those people”.
He was asked on his position on the issue of Oloro, and he made the record straight that, “if they don’t want Oloro it’s not a problem but let the people decide. So it’s not any ones right to carry gun and also destroy the properties at the secretariat”.
We have 16 people campaigning and all of them are my people and I cannot be one sided as a good leader in my ward. And all of them know that I can’t campaign against any of them, but if the party says this is the direction we want to go who am I to say no. He established.
Our former report on this can be find here: http://societyreportersng.com/index.php/news-and-reports/item/1566-crisis-rocks-lagos-apc-over-lg-poll