The Lagos State Secretariat of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ogba was on Tuesday besieged by protesters challenging the outcome of the party’s primaries for Agege Constituencies I and II.
The demonstrators, who arrived in large numbers carrying placards with various inscriptions, rejected the list of successful candidates published by the Lagos APC and signed by the state chairman, Cornelius Ojelabi.
The list, published in The Nation newspaper on May 25, 2026, named Abiola Oluwagbemiga as the winner of the primary election for Agege Constituency I and Sule Akindele as the candidate for Agege Constituency II.
However, the protesters described the published results as an imposition, insisting that party members overwhelmingly voted for the incumbent lawmaker, Ganiyu Egunjobi, in Agege Constituency I and Azeez Yusuf, popularly known as Ninalowo, in Agege Constituency II.
Chanting solidarity songs and slogans, the demonstrators displayed placards bearing messages such as: “Protect Internal Democracy in Agege,” “Egunjobi for 01, Nino for 02,” “We Say No to Electoral Fraud in Agege,” and “Egunjobi Polled 9,132 Votes, Let the People’s Will Prevail.”
Other placards called for justice and fairness, with inscriptions including: “Justice for Agege Constituency 01,” “Let the People’s Votes Count in Agege Constituency 02,” “Leadership, Examine the Evidence from Agege 01,” and “Truth, Fairness and Justice for Agege Constituency 01.”
The protest comes days after Egunjobi publicly challenged the outcome of the primaries announced by the party leadership.
The controversy surrounding the APC primaries has spread beyond Agege, with reports of dissatisfaction among party members in Alimosho, Mushin, and Ojokoro over the results of legislative primary elections.
Adding to the growing tension, the Iyaloja-General of Nigeria, Mrs. Folashade Tinubu-Ojo, recently threatened to mobilise a protest over the conduct of the primaries, alleging that the process favoured the Justice Forum faction of the party.
Speaking during the protest, some demonstrators accused the party leadership of disregarding the wishes of members who participated in the exercise.
They maintained that Egunjobi won the primary election and should be allowed to seek a second term in line with established party practices.
“Respect our votes and return our mandate,” one of the protesters said. “We voted for Egunjobi in Agege Constituency I and Azeez Yusuf in Constituency II. The mandate freely given to them should not be handed to those who did not win the primaries. We reject imposition and demand that our votes count.”
Security personnel, including police officers, were deployed to the APC secretariat to maintain law and order throughout the demonstration.
APC Urges Aggrieved Members to Use Internal Channels
Reacting to the protest, Lagos APC Chairman Cornelius Ojelabi appealed to dissatisfied members to pursue their grievances through the party’s established dispute-resolution mechanisms.
In a statement issued by his media aide, Omobola Akingbehin, Ojelabi stressed that the primary election process had been concluded and urged party members to prioritise unity and discipline.
“While the party recognises and respects the constitutional right of individuals to express their grievances through lawful means, all members and supporters are reminded that any form of protest must be conducted in accordance with the law and with due regard for public order, party discipline and the collective interest of our great party,” the statement said.
The chairman further noted that the APC already has internal structures for addressing complaints arising from the primaries and encouraged aggrieved aspirants and supporters to utilise those channels.
The party also cautioned members against making inflammatory statements capable of escalating tensions.
Ojelabi specifically dismissed reports claiming he was harassed during the protest, clarifying that he was not present at the secretariat when the demonstration took place.
“We wish to state categorically that the party chairman was neither molested nor harassed at any point during the incident. Furthermore, the chairman was not present at the APC Secretariat when the event occurred,” the statement added.
The APC urged members of the public, party faithful and the media to rely on official party communications and disregard what it described as misleading narratives surrounding the protest.
