Olusegun Ariyo
Some dissatisfied members of the All Progressives Congress, APC, staged a protest on Saturday over what they described as the imposition of chairmanship candidates in Lagos Mainland Local Government and Yaba Local Council Development Area (LCDA) ahead of the July 12 local government elections in Lagos State.
The protest followed the party’s chairmanship primary held at its state secretariat on Acme Road, Ikeja. Candidates for most of the 20 Local Government Areas (LGAs) and 37 Local Council Development Areas (LCDAs) emerged via consensus and indirect voting.
However, consensus reportedly failed in the Lagos Mainland and Yaba councils, leading to unrest among party members.
The protesters, who gathered along Apapa Road in Ebute Metta and later took their demonstration to Arise TV headquarters in Victoria Island, accused local party leaders of attempting to impose unpopular candidates without securing the consent of other aspirants.
Speaking on behalf of the protesters, Taorid Owolabi insisted that no true consensus was reached and called for a rescheduled primary in the affected councils.
He warned that any imposed candidacy would be challenged in court unless all aspirants agreed unanimously.
According to the protesters, the alleged imposition undermines the democratic principles the party claims to uphold and could fuel internal divisions ahead of the local polls.
He said, “Despite extensive consultations among aspirants within both LGAs, no consensus had been reached. This further underscores 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.
He said, “We are fully aware of the ongoing intra-party crisis affecting our local party structure in 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.
