By Jude Opara with agency report
A fresh leadership crisis has erupted in the Lagos State chapter of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), with members of the State Executive Committee accusing the state chairman, King Okuneye, of manipulating party primaries, sidelining key officials and mismanaging party affairs.
The allegations were made during a press conference in Ikeja by the party’s Deputy Chairman, Akinwande Osikominu, following an emergency meeting of members of the state executive.
Osikominu alleged that the chairman had consistently excluded members of the executive from major decisions, creating divisions within the party and weakening confidence in its leadership.
According to him, the crisis deepened during the recently concluded party primaries when executive members allegedly discovered, only at the collation stage, the existence of a separate election committee reportedly constituted by the party’s national leadership.
“Most embarrassingly, the State Exco was kept completely in the dark about the establishment of any parallel election committee by the National Body. We only learned of its existence during collation,” Osikominu said.
He further accused Okuneye of disregarding collective decisions reached by party leaders and unilaterally altering election reports and results.
“The Chairman stands accused of unilaterally altering election reports and results that were previously agreed upon through collaborative processes,” he alleged, adding that the action had further damaged trust within the party.
The deputy chairman also questioned Okuneye’s leadership style, alleging that his prolonged residence outside Lagos had created a disconnect between the state leadership and grassroots party structures.
He claimed the chairman’s absence had weakened coordination and hampered the party’s ability to respond effectively to political developments within the state.
Osikominu additionally alleged that the party had failed to maintain a credible list of local government executives, resulting in confusion and competing leadership claims in several councils.
On financial matters, he raised concerns over the handling of party funds, alleging a lack of transparency and accountability in the management of resources.
He claimed that party funds were routinely paid into personal accounts and that the state treasurer had little or no oversight of the party’s finances.
The deputy chairman also alleged that the party secretariat had been largely abandoned, with many official activities being conducted outside the designated office.
Despite the allegations, Osikominu reaffirmed the loyalty of aggrieved executive members to the party and appealed to the National Executive Committee to investigate the claims and restore confidence in the Lagos chapter.
However, a source close to Okuneye dismissed the accusations as politically motivated and lacking merit.
The source insisted that the chairman had performed effectively and denied allegations of result manipulation, financial misconduct and high-handedness, attributing the complaints to dissatisfaction among party members whose preferred candidates lost during the primaries.
The unfolding dispute has exposed deep divisions within the Lagos NDC and could pose a challenge to the party’s efforts to consolidate its structure ahead of future elections if the issues remain unresolved.
