On Tuesday, residents of Agege and Orile-Agege organized a peaceful demonstration under the guidance of the Presidential Campaign Council (PCC) to protest against what they termed political imposition and a lack of internal democracy in the candidate selection process for the forthcoming local government elections.
The protest, which saw significant participation, was prompted by the results of the All Progressives Congress (APC) primaries, where a candidate associated with the Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Mudashiru Obasa, was announced as the winner for the Agege Local Government chairmanship. The protesters, holding signs with messages like “United We Stand Against Political Imposition,” “Justice for Agege,” and “Agege Rejects Manipulated Results,” voiced their dissatisfaction with what they perceived as undue influence in the party’s internal processes. PCC chairman Mr. Sabitu Kamorudeen stated that the results from the council primaries held on May 10, 2025, did not represent the majority’s preferences within the party.
He accused the process of being skewed to benefit certain entrenched interests. “These results are not only misleading but also a significant misrepresentation of the democratic will of our party members in Agege and Orile-Agege. The outcome lacked due process and was tainted by exclusionary tactics and undue interference,” he remarked. Kamorudeen also noted that many aspirants were denied access to nomination forms and endorsements before the primaries, with some reportedly pressured to withdraw their candidacies. He alleged that there was an effort to promote the candidacy of a close associate of Speaker Obasa, which was later retracted after party discussions. “Our preferred candidate is Bukola Sofidiya, known as Gidado. The attempt to introduce another candidate through non-transparent methods is unacceptable to us and threatens party unity,” he concluded.
Kamorudeen called on the leadership of APC at both state and national levels to take action, emphasizing the importance of fairness and internal democracy. He stated, ‘We urge the party’s leadership, including the state chairman, National Working Committee, Board of Trustees, and other stakeholders, to guarantee equity and justice in party operations. No single individual should exert excessive influence over the collective will of the people.’ Attempts to contact Speaker Obasa or his representatives for comments regarding the allegations were unsuccessful by the time of publication.
