Olusegun Ariyo
Lagos State chapter of the All-Progressives Congress (APC) has cleared 432 chairmanship aspirants to contest in the party’s primary elections scheduled for May 10, 2025, ahead of the July 12 local government polls.
The cleared aspirants emerged following a week-long screening exercise held at the party’s state secretariat on Acme Road, Ogba, between April 29 and May 3. A total of 470 aspirants were screened, out of which 38 were either disqualified or voluntarily withdrew from the race.
Among those who stepped down was Abdul-Ganiyu Obasa, son of Lagos State House of Assembly Speaker, Mudashiru Obasa, reportedly following the intervention of APC National Leader and President Bola Tinubu.
The disqualifications were largely due to issues such as lack of Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs), missing APC membership cards, and discrepancies in academic certificates, especially at the secondary school level.
Former National Legal Adviser of the party and ex-member of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Babatunde Ogala, chaired the screening committee, with Mr. Babarinde Nurudeen serving as secretary. The committee is also tasked with overseeing all pre-election processes across the state’s 20 Local Government Areas and 37 Local Council Development Areas (LCDAs).
According to party guidelines, the primaries will adopt an indirect system, with delegates drawn from executive members in the LGAs and LCDAs. Disqualified aspirants have until May 5 to appeal, while post-primary petitions can be submitted between May 12 and 13.
Ogala described the screening process as “thorough, rigorous and challenging,” adding that all cleared aspirants are capable of delivering good governance at the grassroots.
Of the 470 aspirants screened, 411 were male and 59 female, reflecting what the party described as a growing commitment to gender inclusion in local politics
