Political Platform

Don’t drag my name into your protests – Obasa warns protesters.

Speaker of Lagos State House of Assembly, Hon. Mudashiru Obasa, has advised some aggrieved members of the All Progressives Congress, APC, who are protesting against the recent primary elections in the state not to drag his name into their protests.

Obasa specifically warned the protesters against the use of his name for protests or rallies in respect of the recently held primary elections in the State.

He implored the protesters not to link him with any form of protest in the state.

Obasa said this via a statement made available to DAILY POST Wednesday morning.

DAILY POST gathered that some members of the party from local government areas such as Badagry, Mushin, Amuwo-Odofin, Eti-Osa, Somolu, Ajeromi, and Oshodi staged a protest at the APC State Secretariat on Tuesday.

The aggrieved APC members accused leaders of the party of manipulating the outcome of the primary elections in some parts of the State.

It was learnt that rumor surfaced after the protest that the speaker was one of the people sponsoring the protests.

But, Obasa in his reaction described the rumour as misleading and untrue.

Obasa in the statement explained that he has no business with the protests.

He said, “It is foolhardy, malicious, misleading, and baseless for anybody to assume or imply that I will import or mobilise protesters from different local governments to the secretariat. To achieve what exactly?

“I am not a candidate in the disputed election, so why and how will I devote such an amount of money to organising protests?”

APC members protest at Lagos Secretariat, demand cancellation of primary results.

Scores of members of the All Progressives Congress, APC, on Tuesday staged a protest at the party’s Lagos State Secretariat in Ikeja, demanding the cancellation of primary election results in several constituencies over alleged irregularities.

The demonstrators, drawn from various constituencies including Amuwo-Odofin Federal Constituency, Amuwo-Odofin Constituency II, Ajeromi-Ifelodun Federal Constituency, Oshodi-Isolo Constituency I and Somolu Constituency II, urged the party leadership to investigate complaints arising from the recently concluded House of Representatives and Lagos State House of Assembly primaries.

The APC conducted its legislative primaries in May and subsequently announced the names of successful candidates. However, some aspirants and party members have continued to challenge the outcomes, insisting that the published results did not reflect the decisions made by party members during the direct primary elections.

The protesters called on the party’s leadership and relevant appeal panels to review the conduct of the elections and address what they described as widespread procedural breaches.

One of the petitions was submitted by House of Representatives aspirant for Amuwo-Odofin Federal Constituency, Mr Ayodele Adewale, who challenged the outcome of the primary election in the constituency.

Adewale alleged that the exercise across the constituency’s 11 wards was marred by significant procedural violations, including the absence of an official membership register during accreditation.

He further claimed that accreditation was conducted using APC slips that were neither properly verified nor officially recognised.

The aspirant urged the appeal committee to thoroughly investigate the accreditation and voting processes and nullify the election outcome.

Similarly, House of Assembly aspirant for Amuwo-Odofin Constituency II, Mr David Doherty, faulted the transparency of the exercise, alleging that aspirants were excluded from critical decisions leading up to the election.

He also claimed that armed individuals disrupted voting in some riverine communities by firing gunshots, forcing party members to flee from polling locations.

Doherty called for the cancellation of the constituency’s results and demanded sanctions against anyone found culpable of electoral misconduct or violence.

In Ajeromi-Ifelodun Federal Constituency, petitioners alleged widespread irregularities, including result manipulation, improper collation procedures and breaches of electoral guidelines.

According to them, some electoral officials failed to appear at designated collation centres, while certain results were allegedly altered.

They further claimed that votes were inflated in some wards and that proper accreditation procedures were not followed.

The petitioners requested a verification of ward-level results and a forensic review of disputed result sheets and signatures.

Speaking on behalf of protesters from Amuwo-Odofin Constituency II, Prince Hakeem Ola described the alleged treatment of Doherty as unfair and unacceptable.

He maintained that party members should be allowed to choose their representatives freely through a transparent and credible democratic process.

Ola alleged that Doherty emerged victorious in the primary election but that attempts were being made by some party leaders to overturn the outcome.

Another protester from Agege Local Government Area, Mr Oluwasola Olugbemi, warned against what he described as efforts to impose candidates on party members.

He argued that ignoring the preferences of party members undermines democratic values and weakens confidence in the electoral process.

Protesters from Oshodi-Isolo Constituency I and Somolu Constituency II also submitted petitions alleging attempts to alter the outcomes of their respective primaries.

They appealed to the party leadership to uphold the results already forwarded to the APC National Secretariat.

The demonstrators insisted that the credibility of the APC’s internal democratic process was at stake and called for a transparent resolution of all disputes ahead of the 2027 general elections.

Despite the morning rainfall, the protesters gathered outside the party secretariat, chanting solidarity songs and demanding action on their grievances.

Meanwhile, the Lagos State chapter of the APC dismissed reports circulating on social media claiming that the state chairman, Pastor Cornelius Ojelabi, was harassed during the protest.

In a statement issued by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Mrs Omobola Akingbehin, the party clarified that Ojelabi was not present at the secretariat when the protest took place.

Akingbehin stated that while the party respected the constitutional right of members to express grievances through lawful means, such actions should be carried out responsibly.

She noted that the primary election process had been concluded and that established internal mechanisms were already available for resolving disputes arising from the exercise.

The party encouraged aggrieved aspirants and members to utilise the appropriate channels in the interest of unity, fairness and the continued growth of the APC.

Akingbehin also urged party members, stakeholders and the general public to disregard what she described as misleading reports and rely solely on information released through official party communication platforms.

2027 : Even If They Kidnap All Of Us, There’s No Vacancy In A*o Rock - Edo Governor, Monday Okpebholo

Governor Monday Okpebholo of Edo State has alleged that some persons are sponsoring insecurity in the country to distract President Bola Tinubu.

The governor said this on Tuesday, during the flag-off of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Campaign for Local Government Council elections in Edo South Senatorial District.

According to him, “They can even kidnap all of us—yes, there is no vacancy in A*o Rock.”

“There is no vacancy in A*o Rock. What is happening today is the handiwork of the opposition.”

“They have failed. Have they not failed? Is it by kidnapping children? Then who are you going to govern? There will be nobody for you to govern. So let them give us peace so that we can rule well,” Okpebholo said.

The governor said the President had done more for the country than his predecessors.

Pointing particularly to the impact of the removal of fuel subsidy, the Governor said the impact has been felt in various projects dotting the state.

He commended those, who passed the party’s primary election to emerge as candidates for the forthcoming council elections.

Noting that their victories would signal the possibility of delivering the 2.5 million votes pledged to President Tinubu in the 2027 general elections.