An imminent implosion is looming before the Lagos state chapter of the National Association of Persons With Physical Disabilities (NAPWPD) as some concerned members of the association have confronted their chairman, Mr Adeniyi Rotimi, whom they accuse of “unconstitutional and illegal tenure elongation” amidst other allegations, including high-handedness and lack of financial accountability. This was contained in a petition written against the chairman in which they alleged that he has refused to conduct an election for the state chapter almost one year after the end of his tenure which they said expired February 2025.
“We, the concerned members of the National Association of Persons With Physical Disabilities (NAPWPD) Lagos State Chapter, bring to your attention serious allegations of misconduct and term overstay against our State Chairman, Adeniyi Rotimi”, the petition read in parts.
Mr Rotimi was also accused of high-handedness, threatening anyone that spoke against the tenure elongation. In addition, he was said to always make a joke of the issue when confronted with it and thus treat an otherwise serious issue with levity.
The petition further alleged that the chairman was running the association without accountability and that he rarely called for a general meeting of the state chapter except when he wanted to solicit funds from members.
Speaking with Lagos Today Extra!, one of these concerned members who is also the chairman of the Lagos Island local chapter of the association, Mr Adeniyi Gbadamosi, said members of the association had tried in vain to prevail on Mr Rotimi to conduct an election so that new exco members can take over the running of the association. He said the chairman was delaying to conduct the election because of his ambition to become the new South-west coordinator when eventually an election is held into that office by June 2026.
“Election into the office of the zonal coordinator for the South-west zone of the association is coming up by June this year and whoever is the Lagos state chairman will automatically become the coordinator of the zone. That is why Adeniyi Rotimi is delaying in conducting the Lagos state chapter election. He wants to continue to be chairman so that when the South-west election comes, he will automatically become the new coordinator of the zone. But it is wrong to do this through unconstitutional and illegal process,” Mr Adeniyi Gbadamosi said. He added that Mr Rotimi has an entitlement mentality to the position because he is a chairman imposed on the association as there was no real contest during the election that brought him in.
“It was Dare Dairo , the former GM of Lasoda, that imposed him on us. At the time, Dairo was the outgoing chairman and he manipulated the entire electioneering process and handpicked those that are now in the state executive committee. Everything was done in secrecy, even members who wanted to obtain forms for that election could not do that because the forms were hidden and only those handpicked by Dare Dairo had access to them.
“Everything that is happening now is being orchestrated from the background by Dare Dairo. And that’s because he wants to come back as the new state chairman of the association. The plan is to delay the whole process so that when eventually Adeniyi Rotimi goes to the zonal level, Dare Dairo will come back as the new chairman,” he stated.
Confirming the allegation of high-handedness, Adeniyi Gbadamosi said members were intimidated into silence because of the fear of being unjustly evicted out of the association’s platform, citing the case of one Otunba who was removed from the platform because of his opposition to the tenure elongation. He also told Lagos Today Extra! that Mr Rotimi was running the association without financial accountability, stressing that concerned members were considering dragging him to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) so that he can account for all the funds that have come into the coffers of the association ever since he became chairman.
“In all the years that he has been chairman, Adeniyi Rotimi only called for a general meeting three times and this happens when he wants to solicit funds from members. We don’t know what happens to these funds. People like us will not just stand by and watch while our money is being misappropriated. We will certainly drag him to the EFCC so that he can account for all the money that has been coming into the association ever since he became chairman,” he further stated.
When contacted for his own side of the story, Mr Adeniyi Rotimi said he could not speak on the issue because he had to consult with his exco first before talking to the press. However, The state auditor of the association, Mr Ugo Cul, who spoke on his behalf, dismissed the allegation of high-handedness levelled against the chairman, saying it was fabricated from the “pit of hell”.
According to him, Mr Adeniyi Rotimi is the epitome of humility who can never threaten anyone let alone evicting them from the association’s platform simply because they have views that are contrary to his.
“Have you asked these people making these allegations whether they have exhausted the internal mechanism in the association before going to the press? Our association is a national association and if, at the state level, you feel uncomfortable about certain things, then the wise thing to do is approach the national body for redress,” he said.
Mr Ugo Cul could not however provide an answer as to why the chairman has refused to conduct an election almost a year after the expiration of his tenure. He said he could not answer because it was an issue within the purview of the national body. He could not also confirm if the national body of the association was in favour of the unconstitutional tenure elongation.
Lending his voice to the issue, the state Public Relations Officer (PRO) of the association, Mr Ojo, said the allegation that the chairman was running the association without accountability was false and the handiwork of rumour mongers and mischief makers, stressing that Mr Rotimi had never embezzled the funds of the association. He also gave an insight as to why the state chapter had not conducted an election to usher in new exco members.
“It’s true that the tenure of the present administration expired last year. But it is not true that the chairman is not willing to conduct an election. We have not conducted the election because we have to wait for the local government chapters to conduct their own elections. As I speak with you, many of the local chapters are yet to conduct their elections. As soon as they do this, the state will conduct its own election,” he explained.
However, a source who is close to the exco but pleaded anonymity, faulted this explanation, insisting that tenure elongation was illegal and unconstitutional and therefore cannot be used in any guise.
“If for any reason, the state decides to defer its election to a later date, must it be through unconstitutional means? Why don’t they put in place a caretaker committee to take charge of the association pending the election of a new set of exco members?” the source asked, adding that, as at now, the present administration is unconstitutional and therefore whatever actions they take would be null and void and illegal.
Mr Adeniyi Gbadamosi also disagreed with the explanation given by the PRO, saying there was no part of the constitution that forbids state elections from holding until all local chapters have had their own elections.
In his own words: “It’s part of the delay tactics. There is no part of our constitution that says all local government chapters must conduct their elections before the state can conduct its own.”
Meanwhile, Mr Ugo Cul, the state auditor of the association became visibly angry when he learnt that Lagos Today Extra!’s correspondent spoke with Mr Ojo, the state PRO,, asking why the correspondent should speak with the PRO when he had already told the publication that the exco would not provide an answer to the question of why the chairman was delaying in conducting a state election for the chapter.
“I already told you that we will not tell you the reason for the delay in conducting the election because it is an issue with the national body. So, why did you go and speak with the PRO?” he asked. But when he was reminded that the PRO was the one constitutionally vested with the task of providing information to the public and not the auditor, he did not make further responses.
Comrade Adeyemi, another member of the association who spoke to Lagos Today Extra!, said what majority of the members want is for the state to conduct an election so that a new exco can come onboard. “Let them conduct the election so that everything can go back to normal. Majority of us want the election to hold as soon as possible,” he said.
In the midst of all this, a general meeting has been hurriedly slated for January 17 and most people believe this was going to be a make-it-all or break-it-all meeting as issues bordering on the tenure elongation will top the agenda for discussion that day. For now, concerned members of the association do not believe the January 17 meeting will produce any positive outcome, seeing it as a plan hurriedly put in place to brainwash them into playing along with Mr Rotimi in the tenure elongation.
As events unfold, the question on the lips of most observers is: Will the chairman listen to the voice of these concerned members and avert what many believe is an imminent implosion in the association or will he insist on holding onto that position? Events to come will determine where the tide swings to. Lagos Today Extra! will keep you posted.
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