The Independent National Electoral Commission did not send officials to supervise the All Progressives Congress primary election for Surulere Constituency 11 on Saturday, leaving the exercise without accreditation or proper voting procedures.
Quodir Onikeku, a former Coker-Aguda Local Government Chairman and past House of Representatives aspirant, said the absence of INEC officials at all six voting centres in the constituency revealed serious gaps in the party's process. The primary covered the six wards that make up Surulere Constituency 11: Coker, Aguda, Orile, Itire, Ijesha, and Ikate.
"There was no accreditation. The officials supposed to conduct accreditation and voting were absent, and nothing of such took place here today," Onikeku told the News Agency of Nigeria in Lagos. Instead of following proper procedures, an APC official and party elder simply entered each venue and counted delegates randomly while armed security personnel surrounded the premises.
Over 500 people turned out for the election, which was contested between incumbent Lanre Okunola and Aremu Olalekan Abdul-lateef. Despite the flawed process, the exercise went ahead without the standard INEC oversight that primary elections require.
Onikeku used the opportunity to criticise Okunola's representation of the constituency during two terms in the House of Representatives. He said residents were not supporting Okunola because of alleged neglect and the absence of constituency projects, adding that Okunola only visited Surulere on Thursday, May 14, for campaign activities ahead of his second term bid. Onikeku suggested that some candidates still believed in maintaining integrity even when the party's mechanisms allowed for corners to be cut.
He expressed concern about preparations for the 2027 general elections and appealed to APC leaders to address these issues before the next national polls. The party has yet to respond to questions about why INEC was not present at the primary or whether the results will be validated despite the procedural failures.
