THE Lagos State Commissioner for Energy and Mineral Resources, Wale Oluwo, has resigned his position and his membership of the All Progressive Congress (APC).

In his resignation letter on Wednesday, Oluwo cited the recently held APC primary election in the State which saw the emergence of Babajide Sanwo-Olu as the party’s flagbearer for the 2019 general election.

Sanwo-Olu, who had the backing of the former Lagos State Governor, Bola Tinubu, defeated the incumbent Governor, Akinwumi Ambode, in the polls, the first time a sitting governor would lose his re-election bid in the state.

But Oluwo said the process that threw up Sanwo-Olu as APC governorship candidate was “largely characterized by massive voter disenfranchisement, intimidation, violence, undue influence and non-compliance with all known principles of democracy”.

“In the particular case of the gubernatorial primary, which was conducted using the “open ballot” option in violation of the guidelines of the APC that specified the “open-secret ballot” option, it is clear to me that the core principles of merit, competence, justice and fairness have been sacrificed by the APC on the altar of political expediency,” Oluwo stated in the letter addressed to the Lagos APC Chairman.

“The integrity-deficient nature of the primary has significantly diminished the hard-earned reputation of our State as a reference point for free and fair democratic practice.

“I have struggled for weeks to understand the rationale for the apparent desperation and brigandage brazenly displayed by the party apparatchik in the various elections. I had never thought such a vicious attack could be unleashed on the progress that the state had made in its steady democratic journey.”

Oluwo also expressed his displeasure at “the indifference of the APC to the continued use of an arm of government by a powerful group within the party, to intimidate critical institutions of democracy in the State”.

He said such a development “undermines the doctrine of separation of powers, creates an atmosphere of uncertainty and impairs the government’s ability to implement policies and programmes that will benefit the majority of the people.”

Reports said Oluwo said he would work for the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, Jimi Agbaje, in the coming election.