INEC officials absent from Surulere APC primaries

During the Saturday House of Representatives primary in Surulere Constituency II, Lagos State, Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) officials were reportedly absent.

The claim was made by Quodir Onikeku, a former chairman of Coker‑Aguda Local Government and former House of Representatives aspirant, who told journalists in Lagos.

Onikeku expressed dissatisfaction with how the All Progressives Congress (APC) primary was conducted across the six wards that make up Surulere Constituency II.

The constituency includes the wards of Coker, Aguda, Orile, Itire, Ijesha and Ikate.

He said the exercise exposed gaps in the party’s internal electoral process.

“What happened in the six wards under Surulere Constituency II shows a lacuna in our party,” he said.

“There was no accreditation. The officials supposed to conduct accreditation and voting were absent, and nothing of such took place here today.”

He added that some party members understood the political dynamics surrounding the exercise but insisted that integrity and due process must remain central to party activities.

“For someone like us, we understand the game very well, and we also know that the party has mechanisms to arrange something like this.”

“What we are doing today is to show that some of us still have integrity, and we believe that in no time, this country will move forward,” he said.

Onikeku further claimed that residents of the constituency were dissatisfied with the performance of incumbent lawmaker Lanre Okunola, accusing him of neglecting the area and failing to execute meaningful constituency projects during his tenure in the House of Representatives.

He alleged that Okunola only returned to the constituency on Thursday, May 14, to mobilise support ahead of his re‑election bid.

The former council chairman also expressed concern over preparations for the 2027 general elections and appealed to APC leaders to urgently address the issues raised before the national polls.