Lagos APC Faces Internal Turmoil Over Candidate Selection for July LG Elections

As Lagos prepares for local government elections on July 12, the APC is engulfed in controversy over candidate imposition allegations. Several aspirants and party members across LGAs and LCDAs accuse party leaders of undermining democratic processes by handpicking candidates.

Following LASIEC’s April announcement of the electoral timetable for 57 chairmanship and 376 councillorship seats, the APC adopted consensus for its primaries. Internal committees were established to screen aspirants, but the process has been met with protests.

In Ojokoro LCDA, the Ojokoro Apex Council’s endorsement of Mobolaji Sanusi was contested by another faction supporting Rosiji Yemisi. One anonymous member accused the apex council of pushing a “foreigner backed by the Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Mudasiru Obasa,” cautioning against imposing outsiders without local electoral history.

Yaba LCDA also witnessed protests after allegations surfaced that Babatunde Ojo was being imposed despite scoring lower than William Babatunde, who topped the screening with 85%. A coalition petitioned the First Lady and President Tinubu to intervene, advocating for a democratic and inclusive candidate selection.

An aide to an aspirant condemned the misuse of President Tinubu’s name to justify imposition, calling it “false and disrespectful.” Opeyemi Ahmed, media aide to the outgoing Agboyi-Ketu LCDA chairman, warned that unilateral candidate selection could undermine Tinubu’s chances in 2027.

Fouad Oki, a party chieftain, cautioned that the APC must embrace internal democracy or face electoral losses, emphasizing that “disenfranchised grassroots can sabotage not only council polls but also general elections.”

Lagos APC’s Publicity Secretary, Seye Oladejo, refuted the imposition claims, highlighting that primaries are ongoing and consensus remains a constitutional and effective method to manage candidate selection disputes.