Some aggrieved members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Lagos State staged a protest on Sunday, voicing their displeasure over what they described as the imposition of candidates in the chairmanship primaries for Lagos Mainland Local Government and Yaba Local Council Development Area (LCDA).
According to a report by Naturenex, the protest was sparked by the outcome of the party’s chairmanship primaries held at the APC state secretariat on Acme Road in Ikeja.
While the exercise was reportedly smooth in most of the state’s 20 Local Government Areas (LGAs) and 37 Local Council Development Areas (LCDAs) — with candidates emerging either by consensus or through indirect voting — the process took a contentious turn in Lagos Mainland and Yaba, where protesters claim the consensus agreement was manipulated to favour preferred aspirants.
The demonstrators first gathered along Apapa Road in Ebute Metta before moving to the Arise TV office in Victoria Island to draw public attention to their grievances. They accused influential APC leaders in both areas of excluding other contenders and selecting candidates without broad consultation.
Speaking during the protest, Taorid Owolabi, who represented the group, insisted that no genuine consensus was reached among the aspirants, and called for the primaries in both councils to be redone.
He declared, “Despite extensive consultations among aspirants within both LGAs, no consensus had been reached. This further underscore the need for a transparent and inclusive process.”
Owolabi appealed to the party’s leadership to act swiftly and fairly. “We respectfully call on the State Working Committee to reschedule the primary for a later date and select a suitable venue. We also urge the adoption of revised guidelines that reflect the peculiar circumstances in our LG and LCDA, in full compliance with the provisions of the Lagos State Independent Electoral Commission, the Electoral Act, and the 1999 Constitution (as amended),” he stated.
Another APC member, Sodeeq Olawepo, also expressed similar fears about the internal crisis escalating into legal disputes and possibly undermining the party’s position in future elections.
He explained, “We are fully aware of the ongoing intra-party crisis affecting our local party structure in both Lagos Mainland LG and Yaba LCDA. This has led to a legal suit (Suit No. ID/8948GCM/2025) currently pending before the Lagos State High Court.”
Olawepo urged party elders and stakeholders to intervene urgently to prevent the crisis from damaging the APC’s unity and electoral prospects. “We call on well-meaning stakeholders of our great party to intervene and help restore peace and fairness to our LG and LCDA. Failure to do so could have grave consequences on the APC’s performance in the upcoming Local Government elections and even the 2027 general election,” he warned.
As of Saturday evening, over 50 chairmanship candidates had emerged successfully through the APC primaries across the state. However, the disputes in Lagos Mainland and Yaba continue to fuel tensions within the party’s grassroots structure.
