An aggrieved aspirant for the governorship ticket of the All Progressives Congress, Abdul-Ahmed Mustapha, has made a U-turn concerning his appeal for the nullification of the primaries that produced Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu as the candidate for the 2023 polls in Lagos State.
The position of the sole opponent to Governor Sanwo-Olu’s ambition was made known on Tuesday in Lagos.
This was as the Lagos State APC Governorship Primary Election Appeal Committee said it had resolved the lone petition before it from Mustapha.
The Chairman of the three-man appeal committee, Alhaji Ibrahim Akaje, disclosed this at a news conference after the outcome of the committee sitting in Lagos at APC Secretariat in Ikeja.
He said the grievance was a family issue and had been looked into as a family.
Akaje said: “The only petition we received is the petition from Mr Abdul-Ahmed Mustapha.
“We have looked into the petition as family and come to conclusion and agreement as family to understand ourselves amicably to move our party forward.
“For us to sit down on the same table now (with the petitioner) truly defines APC as a party that stands for unity and progress.
“So, all that our meeting is saying now is that we had family issue and we have looked into it as family.”
Earlier, Akaje said the APC National Working Committee inaugurated the panel to look into issues that might arise from the conduct of the gubernatorial primary election of the party in the state.
He said: “We are here in Lagos as an appeal committee of the APC to attend to any complaints that may have arisen from the conduct of the gubernatorial primary election.
“It is only normal that in any kind of democratic election, you are bound to have committed contestants who will raise issues which they feel were not handled properly.
“And APC with the emergence of its new leadership is desirous of making amends where applicable and uniting the party faithful as one big family.
“Our great party as a truly democratic vehicle is most obliged to provide an avenue for its members that feel aggrieved with the conduct of the primary election to seek for redress.
“The committee received a single petition submitted by Ahmed Olorunfemi Mustapha, alleging that he was denied access and participation in the gubernatorial primary election.”
Akaje said that in view of that and to ensure justice and fairness, the complainant was invited and accorded fair hearing in a peaceful meeting under a conducive atmosphere.
He said the report of the Gubernatorial Primary Election Committee confirmed that the election was free, fair, peaceful and transparent.
Akaje said: “The Appeal Committee received the petitioner, who presented his matter extensively.
“After thorough analysis and deliberations on the matter, the committee subtly informed the petitioner that he was not cleared by the gubernatorial Screening Committee, verdict of which was upheld by the Screening Appeal Committee.
“Both parties therefore agreed to embrace peace and maintain unity for the good of the party and the state.”
The News Agency of Nigeria recalls that Sanwo-Olu emerged winner of the governorship primaries conducted on May 26, 2022 at Mobolaji Johnson Arena to run for a second tenure in the 2023 general election.
NAN also reports that the petitioner, Mustapha, was also on ground at the news conference by the Appeal Committee.
Mustapha, however, promised to abide by the party’s decision, pledging to support Sanwo-Olu in the 2023 election.
