By Ghazali Ibrahim
The All Progressives Congress (APC) Lagos State chapter is facing mounting criticism over its newly released guidelines for the 2025 Local Government and LCDA primary elections.
The recent decision has stirred up talks among political observers and party insiders describing the process as an outright injustice to democracy and a betrayal of fairness.
The revised guidelines, which mandates indirect primaries for both chairmanship and councillorship positions, has sparked outrage for sidelining the will of the general party membership in favor of a select group of party executives known as delegates.
Critics argue that the guidelines adopted by the party executives are designed to tighten the grip of godfathers and party elites on the candidate selection process.
Instead of opening the race to larger participation, the APC has once again opted for delegate voting, restricting decision-making to a few handpicked individuals, many of whom owe their loyalty not to the electorate but to political benefactors.
The ban on canvassing at voting venues and the strict control over who can serve as electoral officials further fuels suspicions of a manipulated process.
Party members say the lack of transparency and accountability has turned the primaries into a charade, where winners are decided long before the first ballot is cast.
Furthermore, the appeal process handled by a five-man committee appointed by the same State Working Committee orchestrating the primaries leaves no room for impartiality.
Even more disturbing fact is the message this sends to younger party members and emerging leaders.
Instead of encouraging competitive ideas, grassroots mobilization, and democratic involvement, the APC is reinforcing a system where loyalty to powerbrokers outweighs public service and competence.
