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The crisis rocking the All Progressives Congress in Lagos Mainland Local Government Area of Lagos State has taken another twist as aspirants of the party have rejected the alleged imposition of a candidate in the LG.
Lagos Brief gathered that leaders of the party have been in marathon meetings after the party’s primary elections on Saturday.
This is as allegation of lies against President Bola Tinubu was burst by an audio from a top politician working with the President.
The President’s top appointee who was a former leader in the House of Representatives in the audio clarified that President didn’t anoint anyone in Lagos Mainland or Yaba.
He noted that only the outgoing Chairperson of Lagos Mainland Local Government got the President’s nod in previous election in the Local Government.
“The position of the President has not changed and he has not communicated any approval to anyone. Leader’s message is clear. Push aspirants for consensus and if they disagree let them vote.
“Any leader who imposes forcefully will be blacklisted. If anyone tells you otherwise, ask them to provide a text message from me or Muri. Did you hear that president anointed anyone elsewhere? Why will Mainland own be different? Leaders, let us all be careful. We all know what’s happening now, Baba is still bittered over last Assembly issue,” it noted.
Some of the aspirants who are privileged to the audio message have vowed to fight any imposition with all legal means, including protesting to the President.
It was also gathered that leaders of some of the aspirants have reached out to appointees close to the president for confirmation of any anointed candidate but “no one can confirm that including Baba Osoba and State chairman”.
“We are bonafide members of this party. We have a right to contest and it should be our decision to go for consensus or not. Majority of us want indirect election. Just as done in other LGAs and LCDAs where consensus didn’t work, ours should not be different,” one of the aspirants said.
NAN had reported that no fewer than 1,539 delegates voted chairmanship candidates for the 20 Local Government and 37 Local Council Development, but primaries were not conducted for Yaba LCDA and Mainland LGA owing to issues bordering on litigations, so delegates were absent.
The development took a new twist in the local government on Sunday when multiple unofficial consensus lists began to surface on different social media platforms.
Also, supporters of different aspirants have begun to claim victory without any official pronouncement from the APC Secretariat.
Loyalists of the party under the aegis of Concerned APC Members,
Lagos Mainland Local Government, expressed fear over the danger of imposing a candidate during a protest on Saturday.
They narrated that imposing candidate had led to bloody clashes and violence in Lagos Mainland in the past which should be avoided.
In a statement, which was signed by their convener, Taorid Owolabi, said no consensus has been reached among the aspirants.
It was learnt that members of the group are representatives of aggrieved aspirants in Lagos Mainland and Yaba.
He said, “Despite extensive consultations among aspirants within both LGAs, no consensus has been reached. This further underscores the need for a transparent and inclusive process.
“We call on the State Working Committee to reschedule the primaries for a later date and select a suitable venue. We also urge the adoption of revised guidelines that reflect the peculiar circumstances in our LG and LCDA, in full compliance with the provisions of the Lagos State Independent Electoral Commission (LASIEC), the Electoral Act, and the 1999 Constitution (as amended).
“We are aware of moves by certain powerful elements within the Justice Forum to exploit this crisis to impose unpopular candidates in Lagos Mainland and Yaba LCDA. This deliberate plan to retire some notable leaders in the Lagos Mainland Federal Constituency under the guise of party supremacy is undemocratic and threatens the integrity of our internal processes.”
He also called on President Bola Tinubu to intervene in the crisis rocking the areas before it degenerate.
According to him, all aspirants should be be asked to commit to the consensus considering the litigation and absence of wrd executives in the LG.
He said, “We are fully aware of the ongoing intra-party crisis affecting our local party structure in both Lagos Mainland LG and Yaba LCDA. This has led to a legal suit (Suit No. ID/8948GCM/2025) currently pending before the Lagos State High Court.
“We call on well-meaning stakeholders of our great party to intervene and help restore peace and fairness to our LG and LCDA. Failure to do so could have grave consequences on the APC’s performance in the upcoming Local Government elections and even the 2027 general elections.”
