A former House of Representative member in Lagos State, Pastor Cornelius Ojelabi was elected as the new chairman of the All Progressives Congress State Executive Council at Mobolaji Johnson Arena in Onikan on Saturday.
Ojelabi, a card-carrying member of the party, was also an ex-Commissioner for Rural Development and a former Local Government Chairman.
He is to be assisted by his new deputy, Mr Olanrewaju Maiyegun.
Others are Sunmi Odesanya (State Secretary), Biodun Aigbe (State Treasurer), Doyin Banjo (State Financial Secretary), Adewale Ayodele (State Organising Secretary), Oluseye Oladejo (State Publicity Secretary), Kehinde Adeniyi (State Welfare Secretary), Doyin Pikudan (State Auditor), Jumoke Okoya-Thomas (State Woman Leader),Dr Muritala Seriki (State Youth Leader) among others.
The congress was led by Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu and was supervised by the Independent National Electoral Commission and also the Electoral Committee members appointed by the party’s National Caretaker Committee in Abuja.
There were 1,615 delegates accredited to pick the party’s state executive members during the congress organised under heavy security presence.
Notable APC stalwarts at the congress included the Deputy Governor, Dr. Obafemi Hamzat; lawmaker representing the Lagos Central in the Senate, Senator Oluremi Tinubu; Senator Olamilekan Adeola (Lagos West), Senator Rotimi Abiru (Lagos East), Chief of Staff to the Governor, Mr. Tayo Ayinde; the immediate past caretaker chairman of the party in Lagos, Hon. Tunde Balogun; all serving members of the national and state assemblies, chairmen of local councils and party supporters.
A statement issued by the Chief Press Secretary to Governor Sanwo-Olu, Gboyega Akosile, said the congress kicked off with an opening speech given by the chairman of the State’s Congress Electoral Committee, Chief Adebayo Adelabu, who promised objectivity, fairness and equity throughout the process.
Adelabu said the electoral committee was duly authorised by the party’s national committee to ensure smooth organisation of the election, expressing confidence in the peaceful conduct of the process.
As voting was about to start, the Electoral Committee chairman disclosed that 38 aspirants were screened for all 37 vacant positions in the party’s state chapter.
Two aspirants, he said, expressed their interest in the chairmanship position.
Adelabu said a chairmanship aspirant was found ineligible based on the party’s guidelines and was disqualified. Other aspirants, he said, were all cleared for the positions they contested for and returned unopposed.
The Congress Committee members adopted voice voting, requesting card-carrying members to nominate each of the eligible aspirants for members’ approval.
The exercise was supervised by the Secretary of the State Congress Committee, Amb. Anthony Ogba.
“At 2.40pm, the exercise ended, with Ojelabi returning as duly elected chairman,” the statement read.
In his good will message, the new chairman pledged to lead the team by consolidating the progress recorded under his predecessor, Hon. Tunde Balogun, and promised to set the party on higher pedestal.
“On behalf of all new executive members of the party, I give our commitment to setting our great party in a higher pedestal. All hands must be on deck, as this is a crucial moment in our political endeavours in Lagos. It is a moment other states are looking forward to,” he said.
