Lagos State Commissioner, Uzamat Akinbile-Yusuf Under fire Over Imposition of Choice Councillor’s Candidate

Members and leaders of All Progressives Congress (APC) in Agbado-Oke Odo LCDA of Lagos State are dagger drawn over the choice of who represents them in the councillorship poll from Ward G in the area, accusing the State’s Commissioner for Youths and Social Development, Mrs Uzamat Akinbile-Yusuf, of trying to impose her choice candidate on the ward.

The aggrieved persons raised the concern in a petition written to the state chairman of the party, Otunba Ajomale, saying the commissioner had been threatening to impose one Tunji Ogunyemi, her choice candidate, for the said seat.

In the internal primary said to have been conducted in the ward, Dare Aina, according to the people, polled five votes as against Akinbile-Yusuf’s preferred candidate, Ogunyemi, who scored just four votes.

The aggrieved people through their representatives, including Sola Popoola, James Ibrahim, Hon. Olaifa and Alh. Olusesi, wrote the petition dated May 2nd 2017, seeking for the party’s intervention to resolve the issue.

In the petition, the people alleged that the Commissioner, Mrs Akinbile-Yusuf, had compelled the party members to endorse a councillorship aspirant that was already voted out in the internal primary conducted by leaders and members.

This they said was against the initial understanding of the commissioner, who was said to have pledged to agree by whatever decision reached at such internal primary election.

The petitioners said the APC members and leaders in Ward G decided to embark on the exercise in order to avoid any rancor, and eventually picked Aina, who polled five votes as against Akinbile-Yusuf’s preferred candidate, who scored just four votes.

The letter reads: “After the election, Dare Aina, one of the aspirants scored five votes while his opponent scored four, just like in any democratic practice, Dare Aina had the highest vote and automatically becomes the winner.

“Few minutes later, we were told to reconvene by 6 pm at the Uzamat Akinbile-Yusuf’s residence. On arrival, a letter had been prepared with names of all stakeholders on it, compelling everyone to sign that the aspirant that scored 4 votes should be declared as winner. We asked the commissioner how she arrived at that decision.

“She said that as the commissioner that she had the prerogative to decide who becomes her ward councillor and that exercising that power, she had chosen the man who scored fewer votes.”

Efforts to get the reaction of the commissioner proved abortive as several calls made to her cellphone was not returned and she also did not reply to the SMS message sent to her.