Lagos West: Despite closure of sales of nomination forms, screening, Adamu allagedly under pressure to sell form to Tinubu’s stooge
In what is likely to form an integrity test to the Abdullahi Adamu -led National Working Committee, it has been gathered that the Chairman is allagedly under pressure from a National Leader of the party, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, to obtain form illegally for a candidate of his choice to contest the forthcoming Lagos West Senatorial District election.
This is despite the fact that sales of form had closed, aspirants screened with the committee already submitted its report.
The Asiwaju Tinubu’s camp is banking on the relationship a former Deputy Governor, Idiat Adebule has with the party Chairman while they both served on the reconciliatory committee of the APC.
This move is against the backdrop of the failure of their initially preferred candidate, Adejoke Orolope-Adefulire to contest the Lagos West Senatorial race, while she obtained form but was not screened, citing a lack of interest.
It will be recalled 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 choices of the two aspirants, Tinubu, is allagely, arm twisting the National Chairman to obtaining a form through the back door.
We gathered from sources that the new form (if successfully obtained) would be for either for Tinubu’s sister-in-law, (Mrs) Lola Akande, a commissioner in the Cabinet of Governor Babajide Sanwo-olu, his deputy, Dr. Obafemi Hamzat or the former Deputy Governor, Mrs. Idiat Adebule.
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.