This is despite the closure of sales and submission of forms as announced by the National Working Committee of APC.
Some members of the ruling All Progressives Congress party in Lagos State have exposed how national leader and former governor of the state, Bola Tinubu, and other stalwarts are planning to obtain the senatorial nomination forms for their stooge in the Lagos West Senatorial District.
This is despite the closure of sales and submission of forms as announced by the National Working Committee of APC.
The APC had closed the sale of expression of interest and nomination forms last Thursday, while the deadline for the submission of the forms was midnight on Friday.
The screening for all Senatorial and House of Representatives aspirants was also done on Saturday and Sunday in Abuja.
Speaking to SaharaReporters, a top member of the APC said Tinubu had, however, embarked on an illegal means of obtaining a new form for a new aspirant after his allegedly preferred candidate, Adejoke Orelope-Adefulire, withdrew from the race.
Orelope-Adefulire had stepped down her senatorial ambition to retain her current appointment as the Senior Special Assistant to President Muhammadu Buhari on Sustainable Development Goals.
“Not pleased with the inability of their preferred candidate- Adejoke Orolope-Adefulire to contest the Lagos West Senatorial race, the Lagos APC Leader has embarked on illegal means of obtaining a new form for a new aspirant,” the source said.
“You know that the trio of Senator Musiliu Obanikoro, Adejoke Orelope-Adefulire and Kayode Opeifa had obtained the forms to contest for the seat in the red chambers but only Obanikoro and Opeifa attended the screening exercise while Orelope stepped down her ambition to retain her current appointment.
“Meanwhile, not satisfied by the chances of the remaining aspirants at the primary, the National Leader in collusion with the National Chairman of the APC is on the verge of obtaining a form through the backdoor. However, how a man like Adamu Abdullahi with his pedigree will allow such illegality be perpetrated under his watch, is left to be seen,” another top APC member in Lagos noted.
“It is believed that the new form (if successfully obtained) will be for either of these 3 persons. Top on the list is his sister-in-law; Dr. (Mrs) Lola Akande, a commissioner in the Cabinet of Governor Babajide Sanwoolu, his deputy, Dr. Obafemi Hamzat or the former Deputy Governor, Mrs. Idiat Adebule.
“Tinubu is attempting to leverage on the perceived relationship formed between Idiat Adebule who was a member of the APC reconciliation committee headed by Adamu Abdullahi, to have his way.
“Interestingly, the APC Screening Committee headed by Alhaji Shinkafi, the former Governor of Zamfara State has since submitted its report. Therefore, it is left to be seen how an unscreened aspirant will pick the party's ticket in Lagos West,” another source explained.