Crisis is brewing within the Lagos State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) ahead of the July 12 local government elections, as chairmanship aspirants and party leaders across several local councils have raised alarm over what they describe as attempts to impose candidates.
Aggrieved members and stakeholders from various Local Government Areas (LGAS) and Local Council Development Areas (LCDAS) accused influential party leaders of undermining grassroots democracy by bypassing competitive primaries in favour of handpicking candidates.
The Lagos State Independent Electoral Commission, in April, released the timetable for elections into 57 council chairmanship and 376 councillorship seats across the 20 LGAs and 37 LCDAs, as current officeholders prepare to exit by July.
Despite the party’s push for consensus candidacy in Saturday’s scheduled primaries, several aspirants told news men that the process has led to the emergence of parallel candidates, triggering tension in key councils.
In Ojokoro LCDA, a group under the Ojokoro Apex Council screened three chairmanship aspirants and endorsed Mobolaji Sanusi as a consensus candidate. His endorsement was formalised in a letter signed by former House of Representatives members Ipoola Omisore and Adisa Owolabi, and addressed to the APC state chairman, Cornelius Ojelabi.
The letter, which included signatures of local party leaders, was swiftly followed by a counter-nomination from another faction, which produced Rosiji Yemisi through a separate screening. A member of this faction, speaking anonymously, alleged that “a foreigner backed by the Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Mudasiru Obasa”, was being imposed.
The member warned, “Imposing an outsider with no electoral history in Ojokoro will backfire.”
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Yaba LCDA also witnessed protests over alleged attempts to substitute a popular aspirant with Babatunde Ojo, who reportedly ranked 11th in the internal screening. William Babatunde, who reportedly scored 85 per cent, was allegedly sidelined despite topping the list.
A coalition of concerned landlords and political stakeholders in Yaba, led by Amoo Ismail, petitioned First Lady Oluremi Tinubu and President Bola Tinubu to halt the imposition trend.
“It is simply unjust… that a single individual continues to unilaterally impose a chairmanship candidate upon us,” the coalition said. “We humbly implore Your Excellency… to consider alternatives that serve the community’s interests.”
A source told metrobusinessnews.com (MBN) that some party leaders are embarking on mame.dropping, particularly, that of President Bola Tinubu to legitimise the moves, telling news men, “They’re falsely claiming the President has issued directives. That’s disrespectful to someone who supports internal democracy.”
APC chieftain Fouad Oki, in an open letter titled “Lagos APC’s Crisis of Democracy”, also warned against internal suppression.
“The Lagos APC must choose democracy over cliques,” Oki wrote. “Unity forged under injustice is brittle. Let this op-ed be a rallying cry… abandon the politics of imposition.”
Reacting to the uproar, APC Lagos Publicity Secretary, Seye Oladejo, denied any wrongdoing and insisted that no candidate had been imposed as the process was still ongoing.
“We have not concluded the process of the primaries,” Oladejo told news men. “Where consensus is reached, there will be affirmation; where it’s not, delegates will decide.”
He added, “Nobody is imposing anything… we cherish internal democracy. The party constitution recognises consensus.”
Oladejo said the consensus model had historically helped the party manage post-primary fallout and assured that disputes would be addressed through internal mechanisms.
“We will resolve whatever grey areas arise. As always, the party will manage its house,” he concluded.
Tolulope Popoola
Tolulope is a dynamic media professional with a knack for impactful storytelling and digital content curation. Skilled in journalism, news editing, and corporate communications, she leads with creativity and precision. She holds both her first and second degrees in Mass Communication from the University of Lagos and is currently the Deputy Online Editor at BusinessDay.
