… write state chairman, Ojelabi, debunks purported choice forwarded to him by another group
Ahead of the July 12, 2025 local government polls in Lagos State, apex leaders of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ojokoro Local Council Development Area (LCDA) have affirmed Mobolaji Sanusi, as the chairmanship candidate for the council area in the forthcoming exercise, being one unanimously adopted at several meetings earlier held by them.
ALSO READ: Lagos council chairman cleared of N1.9bn budget funds misappropriation — APC Chieftain
The leaders, while giving this position, debunked purported chairmanship candidate submitted to the state party’s chairman, Pastor Cornelius Ojelabi, saying that the choice did not emanate from quorum of leaders in the council area.
This was made known in a letter, dated May 2, 2025, with the title: “Clarifications on a purported Chairmanship list submitted to the APC State Chairman by an Ojokoro Group, and jointly signed by Hon. Ipoola Omisore, a 2-term member of Lagos State House of Assembly and Hon. Adisa Owolabi, a former member of House of Representatives on behalf of Ojokoro Apex Council.”
The leaders, while further knocking the purported list, which it said reportedly contains 20 names, pointed out that “herein, lies the fallacy of its originality because the entire membership of the original Ojokoro leadership list recognised by the party in the state contains 18 names.”
“Where did the originators of this list get the additional names? Possibly from their loyalists that are not leaders. This amounts to nothing but mere impersonation that deserves serious reprimand by the party leadership.
“More importantly, we want to draw the attention of the state party leadership to an earlier consensus-building initiatives by peace-loving Ojokoro Apex leaders to ensure a hitch-free emergence of our Local Council Development Area, LCDA chairmanship party candidate in the upcoming local government elections in Lagos State.
“It was at one of such numerous meetings that leaders that were present voluntarily agreed to sign a resolution adopting Mr. Mobolaji Sanusi as the APC candidate for Ojokoro in the upcoming local government elections.
“Other decisions were equally agreed upon, voluntarily at that meeting.
“The beauty of democracy is the supremacy of the majority. Therefore, it is interesting to highlight that 12 out of 18 Ojokoro leaders signed for Sanusi’s adoption as the party chairmanship candidate in the upcoming elections.
“Of utmost importance in this regard is the fact that three members who are listed as apex members with chairmanship aspirations were not allowed to sign because of the trite equitable legal principle of someone not being a judge in his own cause.
“Therefore, in line with our regulation, only 15 leaders could have readily been voluntary signatories to the resolution adopting Mobolaji Sanusi. Listed herein are those three apex members aspiring to contest for the chairmanship position but could not vote, including Fausat Olajokun, Rasheed Makinde and Mobolaji Sanusi Esq.
“From the 15 leaders that were qualified to vote, 11 signed for Sanusi’s adoption. No reasonable person can doubt the consensus of 11 out of 15 qualified leaders adopting Sanusi as our party chairmanship candidate in Ojokoro.
“The binding resolution, freely signed by 11 leaders of Ojokoro, remains binding and cannot be superseded by a subsequent list of largely adulterated ’20 leaders,'” they said.
According to the letter, the 11 authentic leaders that freely signed for Sanusi’s adoption include: Hon. Ipoola Omisore, Chief Oluyomi Olaogun, Otunba Aremu Akindele, Adisa Owolabi and Emmanuel Olotu.
Others are Jelili Oseni, Dr. Waheed Adeleke Ipaye, Prince Adewale Bello, A. A. Amosun, Dr. Idris Salako, HID Tijani and Fatimo Oye-Balogun.
They, therefore, called on the party leadership to “throw the list into the waste bin”, despite insinuations that few leaders from among the ones that signed for Sanusi also signed the reactionary list of ’20 leaders’ submitted to the state party chairman.
and then