Protests rocked the Lagos State secretariat of the All Progressives Congress, Ogba, on Tuesday, over the results of the primaries for Agege Constituencies I and II published by the state chapter of the party and signed by its chairman, Cornelius Ojelabi.
The protesters, in large numbers and bearing placards with various inscriptions, challenged the list of successful Lagos Assembly lawmakers published in The Nation newspaper on Monday, May 25, 2026, which announced Abiola Oluwagbemiga as the winner of the primaries for Agege Constituency I and Sule Akindele for Agege Constituency II.
The protesters described the Lagos APC publication as an imposition, arguing that they voted for Ganiyu Egunjobi for Agege Constituency I and Azeez Yusuf for Agege Constituency II.
Rendering a medley of chants to voice their opposition to the party’s decision, the party members displayed placards bearing messages such as, “Hamzat, don’t destroy our democracy; Protect Internal Democracy in Agege; Egunjobi for 01, Nino for 02; We say no to electoral fraud in Agege; Egunjobi polled 9,132 votes, let the people’s will prevail; Justice for Agege Constituency 01, Justice for Egunjobi.”
Other messages included, “Forum of LG and Ward Youth Leaders in Agege stand firmly with the candidacy of Ganiyu Kola Egunjobi, APC candidate, LAHA Agege Constituency 01 and Azeez Yusuf ‘Ninalowo’, APC candidate, LAHA Constituency 02; Let the people’s votes count in Agege Constituency 02; Egunjobi’s petition deserves objective consideration; Leadership, examine the evidence from Agege 01; We must strengthen confidence in internal democracy; Truth, fairness and justice for Agege Constituency 01; We demand a fair hearing for Agege 01 and Agege 02.”
Recently, Egunjobi held a press conference challenging the outcome of the election as published by the party’s state chapter.
Recall that following the publication of the results of the primary elections for federal and state legislative positions, some party members expressed discontent over the outcomes in Alimosho Federal Constituency, Mushin Federal Constituency, Ojokoro, and Agege Constituencies I and II.
The Iyaloja-General of Nigeria, Mrs Folashade Tinubu-Ojo, also threatened a protest over the outcome of the recently held APC primaries in Lagos State, alleging that the process was skewed in favour of the party’s Justice Forum bloc.
One of the protesters argued that it was shocking that the result declared by the Lagos APC was divisive and amounted to injustice against party members who, they claimed, voted overwhelmingly for Egunjobi.
The protesters further chanted, “Respect our votes, give us back our votes. Alimosho has always been for the people; this is not the time to disrupt peace there.
“Don’t disrupt the peace in Agege; don’t disrupt peace in Alimosho. According to party guidelines, anyone who served one term should get a second term. What is Egunjobi’s offence that he will not be allowed to seek a second term? We have 37,000 votes; give us back our votes.
“Egunjobi for Agege 01 is what we want. He was the one who won the primary election. Let our votes count. Ojelabi should let our votes count. Ojelabi should return our mandate. We voted for Egunjobi for Agege 01 and Azeez Yusuf (Nino) for Agege 02.
“Why should our mandate, freely given to them, be hijacked and handed over to individuals who clearly lost the primaries? This is unacceptable. This is an injustice. This is undemocratic. We say no to imposition.”
While the protest lasted, policemen were on hand to ensure effective crowd control.
Meanwhile, the party chairman has urged all aggrieved persons to utilise established channels to air their grievances in the interest of unity, fairness and the continued progress of the party.
Ojelabi, through his media aide, Omobola Akingbehin, maintained that the primary election process had been concluded; hence, those aggrieved were expected to subscribe to the party’s internal mechanisms to address their grievances.
The statement read, “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.
“It is also important to note that the primary election process has been concluded. The party’s internal mechanisms for addressing grievances and resolving issues arising from the exercise are already in place. We therefore encourage all aggrieved persons to utilise these established channels in the interest of unity, fairness and the continued progress of the party.”
The statement also cautioned party members against making statements that could cause unnecessary tension.
It particularly described as false, reports that the party chairman was molested during the protest, asserting that Ojelabi was not at the APC secretariat when the protest happened.
“We further urge all party members and stakeholders to remain calm, exercise restraint, and refrain from actions or statements capable of causing unnecessary tension or misrepresenting the facts surrounding the incident.
“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.
“We urge members of the public, party faithful and the media to disregard any misleading narratives and rely solely on information disseminated through official party channels.”