The Lagos State chapter of the All Progressives Congress on Tuesday place a ban on members who had spent a minimum of eight years as a ward, council and state executive members from seeking re-election in its May congresses.
The National Leader of the party, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu announced the ban in Ikeja while addressing party members at a stakeholders meeting.
He said the decision was to allow fresh people to occupy party offices at the ward, local government and state levels with a view to taking the APC to the next level in the state.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the national leadership of the party had recently fixed May 2,5, 9 and 14 for ward, local government, state and national congresses respectively.
The decision of the party to allow congresses followed appeals by President Muhammadu Buhari who had opposed the approval of tenure elongation for party executives at all levels.
With Tuesday’s pronouncement by Tinubu, the chairman of the party in the state, Chief Henry Ajomale, who had led the chapter for a very long period, will be unable to seek re-election.
Tinubu said at the meeting: “We fought hard against tenure elongation, and now we are going to have our congresses.
“Some of you who have spent two, three, four terms as ward, local government and state executive members, it is time to go.
“We thank you, we appreciate you. But we want you to step aside. It is time for those who have been crawling for years to walk. It is time for the youths to take over.
“I mean if you have spent eight years, twelve years, you have tried. You should give us chance, let us now have new people.”
Tinubu, however, said party executive members who had only spent one term were free to seek re-election, provided they did not have records of misconduct in office.
NAN