As tension boils within the Lagos State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) over allegations of candidate imposition ahead of the July 12 local government elections, the party’s Electoral Committee has scheduled a stakeholders’ meeting for Wednesday.
The meeting, set to hold at 10:00 AM at the APC State Secretariat on Acme Road, Ogba, comes amid growing concerns among party loyalists and aspirants over the transparency of the party’s selection process for chairmanship and councillor positions.
In a notice signed by Chairman of the State Electoral Committee, Babatunde Ogala, SAN, and the committee’s secretary, Nurudeen Bamidele, the APC listed those invited to the meeting.
They include the leader of the Governor’s Advisory Council (GAC), a key decision making of the APC in Lagos, Prince Tajudeen Oluyole Olusi, party chairmen of the 57 Local Government Areas and Local Council Development Areas (LCDAs), all three serving senators from the state, APC members of the House of Representatives and Lagos State House of Assembly, as well as apex leaders and cleared chairmanship aspirants.
Also expected are outgoing council chairmen and members of the party’s State Executive Council.
“The Lagos State APC Electoral Committee has scheduled to hold a Stakeholders’ meeting on Wednesday 7th May,2025 at the State Secretariat on Acme road , Ogba at 10am.
“Those invited to the meeting are Prince Tajudeen Oluyole Olusi, the Party Chairmen of the 57 Local Governments and Local Council Development Areas – LCDAs, the 3 Serving Senators, all APC serving members of the House of Representatives from Lagos State, all APC members of the Lagos State House of Assembly , the Apex Leaders in the 57 Local Government Areas and Local Council Development Areas – LCDAs, all the Chairmanship aspirants that have been cleared by the Screening Committee to contest the Primaries, all out-going Council Chairmen and Members of the State Executive Council of the Party,” the notice read.
THE WHISTLER reports that in Ojokoro Local Council Development Area (LCDA), discontent among party members erupted into street protests on April 22.
The protesters, carrying placards and chanting slogans, accused party leaders of plotting to impose an unknown aspirant as the chairmanship candidate ahead of the party’s primary election.
The protesters alleged that the attempt to sideline credible aspirants undermines internal democratic processes and violates both the Nigerian Constitution and the APC’s guidelines.
This incident follows a similar fracas during a stakeholders’ meeting in the same LCDA on April 14, which ended abruptly amid allegations of manipulation and lack of transparency.
The storm is not limited to Ojokoro. In the Agege Local Government Area (LGA), concerns have also been raised over candidate imposition. A civil society group known as the Concern Group Initiative (CGI) has called on the national leadership of the APC to intervene and ensure a free and fair nomination process in the LGA.
Tensions in Agege have escalated following the rumoured endorsement of Abdulganiyu Obasa, son of the Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Hon. Mudashiru Obasa, as the APC chairmanship candidate.
This has further deepened fears of a predetermined outcome, sparking speculation that some aspirants are being coerced into stepping down.
Speaking recently to THE WHISTLER in response to the protests within the APC, the party’s Lagos spokesperson, Hon. Seye Oladejo, urged members to remain calm and allow the primary election process to reach its conclusion before making any allegations of imposition.
“No one can protest imposition until we say the primaries are over and candidates officially emerge, duly authorised by the leadership of the party at the state level.
“How do you start speaking of imposition when the process of screening is just on, and nobody has been disqualified or denied their rights to run on the basis of any kind of discrimination? That’s a strange one,” Oladejo told THE WHISTLER.
The meeting may serve as a platform to ease internal tensions and reaffirm the party’s commitment to a fair and democratic primary process.
