Before Lagos State’s local government elections on July 12, some disgruntled members of the All Progressives Congress, or APC, protested on Saturday, claiming that candidates for chairmanships had been imposed on the Yaba Local Council Development Area (LCDA) and Lagos Mainland Local Government.
The demonstration came after the party’s chairperson primary, which was conducted at its state secretariat on Acme Road in Ikeja. Through indirect voting and consensus, candidates were chosen for the majority of the 20 LGAs and 37 LCCDAs.
But according to reports, the Lagos Mainland and Yaba councils were unable to reach an agreement, which caused discontent among party members.
The demonstrators, who first assembled along Apapa Road in Ebute Metta before moving to the Arise TV offices on Victoria Island, charged that local party leaders were trying to force unpopular candidates on other candidates without getting their approval.
Taorid Owolabi, speaking for the demonstrators, demanded a rescheduling of the primary in the impacted municipalities and maintained that no genuine agreement was made.
He cautioned that unless all candidates agreed unanimously, any forced candidature would be contested in court.
The demonstrators contend that the purported imposition erodes the democratic values the party professes to support and may exacerbate internal conflicts before the municipal elections.
He said, “Despite extensive consultations among aspirants within both LGAs, no consensus had been reached. This further underscore the need for a transparent and inclusive process.
“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).”
Another protester, Sodeeq Olawepo, cautioned that failure to reach a unanimous consensus among aspirants could spark legal battles that might ultimately cost the party its victory to the opposition.
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He said, “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.
“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.”
As of Saturday evening, over 50 chairmanship candidates have emerged from the APC primaries across the state.
