2027: Disquiet in Lagos APC as aspirants petition Tinubu

Some stakeholders in the Lagos State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) have petitioned President Bola Tinubu, and the National Chairman of the party, Professor Nentawe Yilwatda, over allegations of undue interference in Monday’s House of Representatives primary held in the state.

As of Wednesday night, no fewer than five petitions were reportedly sent to the president and the APC chairman by aggrieved aspirants demanding immediate intervention to guarantee a united APC for the general election.

The petitioners include the immediate past spokesperson of Lagos APC, Oluseye Oladejo, who contested for Mushin Federal Constituency; Akeem Animashaun, who vied for Mainland Federal Constituency; Kolawole Taiwo, who contested for Ajeromi-Ifelodun Federal Constituency; Ayodele Adewale, who ran for Amuwo-Odofin Federal Constituency; Dr. Adesola Samuel Adedayo, who contested for Apapa Federal Constituency; and Prince Abdul Animashaun.

ALSO READ: How Ogun Customs is tackling drug, rice, fuel smugglers at Idiroko border

They accused the top functionaries of the APC state administration of interference in the conduct of the House of Representatives primaries held on Monday.

They also alleged that the lawmaker representing Ikeja Federal Constituency, James Faleke, who doubles as the Director-General of the Justice Forum caucus, was a key actor in the exercise.

According to the petitioners, those leaders collaborated with some elements within the Justice Forum to undermine aspirants believed to have ties with the Mandate Group.

In some constituencies, they accused returning officers of deliberately abandoning polling units where they were perceived as not belonging to the Justice Forum.

They cited the incident in Mushin Federal Constituency, where the returning officer allegedly left the polling unit for hours, only to resurface and announce what they regarded as curious results that did not reflect the actual voting pattern.

However, the Chief Press Secretary to the state governor, Gbenga Akosile, dismissed the allegations against the governor and deputy governor, insisting that all factions and groupings within the party had already been harmonised.

He said everybody was given a fair and level playing ground.

Meanwhile, efforts to reach Faleke and the state chairman of the party were unsuccessful as of the time of filing this report.

In a petition dated May 2026, Adewale challenged the validity and finality of the primary election results in Wards A, C, D, E, F, G, H, I and J, arguing that material and substantial irregularities were allowed to occur unchecked by electoral officials, thereby rendering the results inconclusive and the overall outcome unreliable.

He said: “The primary election held in Amuwo-Odofin Federal Constituency was marked by material breaches of the Electoral Act 2026, the APC Constitution, and basic principles of electoral credibility. Forged voters were admitted, agents were denied accreditation, violence was permitted, and thousands of registered members were unlawfully disenfranchised.”

He further alleged that the returning officer abandoned the polling unit at a crucial stage of the exercise.

Ayodele, in his petition, urged the APC leadership to conduct a full and independent investigation into the accreditation and voting processes across the 11 wards in Amuwo-Odofin Federal Constituency. He also demanded a review of all materials, processes and procedures used during the primary, the nullification of the results announced for the constituency, and assurances of strict compliance with APC constitutional provisions in future exercises.

In Ajeromi-Ifelodun Federal Constituency, Taiwo alleged that after votes were counted, the incumbent lawmaker, Hon. Kalejaiye Paul, scored 112 votes, while he polled 3,821 votes.

In another petition, Ganiyu Adele Ayuba of Ajeromi-Ifelodun Federal Constituency urged APC leadership to nullify what he called the wrongful declaration of Honourable Olabisi Adebajo as the winner of the primary election, insisting that he won the contest with 37,021 votes.

Oladejo wrote: “The Returning Officer disappeared from the collation centre at the Mushin Local Government Secretariat of the party after receiving a phone call. Before then, results from three wards had already been submitted by their respective electoral officers, with Seye Oladejo leading comfortably.

“He later reappeared at the state secretariat of the party late in the evening and allegedly submitted falsified and concocted figures to favour Fayinka, the incumbent.”