Tension in Lagos! APC Members Revolt Over ‘Imposed’ Candidates Ahead of LG Polls

Disgruntled members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Lagos Mainland Local Government Area and Yaba Local Council Development Area (LCDA) once again took to the streets on Tuesday to protest the alleged imposition of candidates ahead of the forthcoming council elections.

Reports indicate that similar demonstrations also erupted in Agege and Orile Agege, where party faithful rejected the outcomes of the APC local government primaries in their constituencies. The protesters—among them several aspirants—voiced outrage over what they described as a flawed and undemocratic selection process.

Speaking to Punch, one of the protesters, Thaorid Owolabi, accused the party of ignoring the recommendations of the appeal panel, which had stated that no clear candidate emerged from the primaries in Lagos Mainland and Yaba.

“They are trying to bury the panel’s report and impose candidates regardless. But the facts are clear—we’ll resist it through all lawful means,” Owolabi declared.

Another protester, Joke Adebanjo, shared similar frustrations, decrying what she described as an erosion of democratic principles within the party.

“Some leaders want to force candidates on us without proper primaries or consultation. This is not democracy; it’s a slap in the face to the people of Lagos Mainland. We demand transparency, accountability, and leaders who represent the people—not themselves!” she said.

Many aspirants claimed the party violated electoral guidelines and ignored earlier assurances that selection would be either by consensus or indirect elections, depending on local conditions.

One anonymous party member noted that ward executives in Lagos Mainland and Yaba were absent due to an ongoing legal dispute, and that consensus among aspirants should have been the only acceptable path forward.

“Yet, names were allegedly submitted to the electoral committee and party leadership without the aspirants’ consent or any formal vote. Still, the party announced them as winners,” the source lamented.

In a passionate appeal, Kafayat Akinpelu, the only female aspirant among 31 contenders for Executive Chairman in Lagos Mainland and Yaba, condemned the exclusion of women from the process.

“I am standing up for fairness and for women’s representation in line with our party’s own principles,” Akinpelu said.

In Agege and Orile Agege, Adetunji Akinyemi, spokesperson for a factional APC group within the Presidential Campaign Council, stated that the protests were more than symbolic, stressing they aimed to force a resolution to the crisis.