AREWA APC LAGOS LEADER CRIES FOUL OVER MARGINALIZATION IN STATE POLITICS
AREWA APC LAGOS LEADER CRIES FOUL OVER MARGINALIZATION IN STATE POLITICS
Dr.Ibrahim Tanko Auna,Apex Leader APC Lagos West 11
By Frank Odinukaeze
The Arewa Community Forum, Lagos branch, has raised a strong alarm over what it describes as the “total relegation, downgrade, and exclusion” of its members within the Lagos State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC), despite their significant contributions to the party’s success in the 2023 general elections.
In a press release signed by Hon. (Dr.) Ibrahim Tanko Auna, the Apex Leader of the Arewa APC Lagos West II, the group expressed deep dissatisfaction with the treatment meted out to the Arewa ethnic group after playing a pivotal role in delivering votes for the APC at both state and national levels.
Tanko praised President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for his leadership and infrastructural strides since assuming office, acknowledging his inclusive governance on a national scale. However, he lamented that the Arewa community in Lagos, once visibly represented across the local government structure, now finds itself sidelined.
“During the previous tenure, we had ten councilors and supervisory councilors representing us in Lagos State. Today, we have only one Arewa councillorship aspirant who passed the primaries,” Tanko stated.
He commended notable figures such as Senator Tokunbo Abiru, Hon. Sabur Oluwa, and Hon. Fatai Ayoola for their continued support to the Arewa community but criticized others, including Senator Dr. Idiat Oluranti Adebule and Hon. Kaleyaje Adeboye, for failing to acknowledge or engage with the Arewa base that helped them get elected.
Tanko detailed several contributions made by the community, including the donation of over 300 buses for the APC campaign in the South West, widespread campaign mobilization, and personal financial commitments such as printing campaign materials and erecting billboards. Despite these efforts, the Arewa community claims they have been “forgotten, abandoned, and marginalized.”
“The silence and lack of appreciation from our representatives are painful. We have not even received a thank-you visit from some of those whose victories we helped secure,” he said.
The community warned that its demoralized state could affect its capacity to mobilize votes in upcoming elections, including the local government elections and the 2027 general elections.
The press release concluded with an appeal to the APC leadership to address the grievances of the Arewa community to preserve party unity and strengthen democratic inclusion across ethnic lines.
