Lagos on Fire: APC Protesters Demand Redo of Assembly Primaries

Scores of members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) on Tuesday staged a protest at the party’s Lagos State Secretariat in Ikeja, demanding a comprehensive review of the House of Representatives and Lagos State House of Assembly primary election results in several constituencies. The demonstrators alleged widespread irregularities and procedural breaches during the recently concluded legislative primaries, calling for urgent intervention from the party leadership.

The protesters, representing constituencies such as Amuwo-Odofin Federal Constituency, Amuwo-Odofin Constituency II, Ajeromi-Ifelodun Federal Constituency, Oshodi-Isolo Constituency I, and Somolu Constituency II, gathered despite morning rainfall, chanting solidarity songs and expressing their grievances. They underscored the need for a thorough investigation into their complaints, emphasizing that the integrity of the party's internal democratic process was at stake, particularly with an eye on the 2027 general elections.

The APC had conducted its legislative primaries in May, announcing successful candidates thereafter. However, some aspirants and party members have consistently challenged these outcomes, arguing that the declared results did not accurately reflect the choices made during the direct primary elections. Among the petitioners was Ayodele Adewale, a House of Representatives aspirant for Amuwo-Odofin Federal Constituency, who specifically challenged the primary election result in his area. Adewale claimed that the exercise across the constituency’s 11 wards was marred by significant procedural lapses, including the absence of an official membership register during accreditation. He further alleged that accreditation was conducted using unofficial APC slips that lacked proper verification.

Similarly, David Doherty, a House of Assembly aspirant for Amuwo-Odofin Constituency II, raised serious concerns about the transparency of the process. Doherty alleged that aspirants were deliberately excluded from crucial decision-making processes leading up to the election. More alarmingly, he claimed that armed individuals disrupted voting in certain riverine communities by firing gunshots, forcing party members to flee polling locations. Doherty called for the immediate cancellation of the constituency’s results and demanded sanctions against anyone found culpable of misconduct or violence during the exercise.

Petitioners from Ajeromi-Ifelodun Federal Constituency also submitted detailed complaints, citing a litany of irregularities that included result manipulation, improper collation procedures, and outright breaches of electoral guidelines. They reported that some electoral officials failed to appear at their designated collation centers, while other results were allegedly altered. The petitioners further claimed that votes were inflated in some wards and that accreditation procedures were not properly adhered to. They demanded a rigorous verification of ward-level results and a forensic review of all disputed result sheets and signatures.

Speaking on behalf of protesters from Amuwo-Odofin Constituency II, Prince Hakeem Ola described the alleged treatment of David Doherty as unfair. He maintained that party members should be allowed to choose their representatives through a transparent and credible process, alleging that Doherty had actually emerged victorious in the primary election but that certain party leaders were attempting to overturn the legitimate outcome. Another protester from Agege Local Government Area, Oluwasola Olugbemi, warned against any attempts to impose candidates on party members, asserting that such actions would severely weaken confidence in the democratic process.

Furthermore, protesters from Oshodi-Isolo Constituency I and Somolu Constituency II also submitted petitions, alleging attempts to alter the outcomes of their primaries. They appealed directly to the party leadership to uphold the results that had already been officially forwarded to the APC National Secretariat. The collective message from the demonstrators was a call for a transparent and just resolution of all disputes, emphasizing its importance for the party's credibility and future electoral success.

In response to the protest, the Lagos State chapter of the APC issued a statement through Omobola Akingbehin, the Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity to the State Chairman. The party dismissed reports circulating on social media that alleged its state chairman, Pastor Cornelius Ojelabi, was harassed during the protest, clarifying that Ojelabi was not present at the secretariat when the event took place. While acknowledging members’ constitutional right to express grievances through lawful means, the party urged that such actions be conducted responsibly. It reiterated that the primary election process had been concluded and that established internal mechanisms were already in place for resolving disputes arising from the exercise, advising aggrieved aspirants and members to utilize appropriate channels in the interest of unity, fairness, and the continued growth of the APC. The party also cautioned members, stakeholders, and the public to disregard misleading reports and to rely solely on official party communication platforms for accurate updates.