Fresh tension has erupted within the Lagos State chapter of the All Progressives Congress following allegations of manipulation in the party’s recently concluded primaries by the Iyaloja-General of Nigeria, Mrs Folashade Tinubu-Ojo.
Tinubu-Ojo, daughter of President Bola Tinubu, threatened on Wednesday to mobilise a protest over the disputed outcomes of some legislative primaries conducted across the state.
She spoke during a meeting with market leaders and political stakeholders held at her office in Alausa, Ikeja, where she accused influential figures within the party of altering results in favour of candidates aligned with the Justice Forum bloc.
The Lagos APC had earlier announced the names of successful candidates for the House of Representatives and Lagos State House of Assembly elections ahead of the 2027 general polls.
The list released by the state chairman of the party, Cornelius Ojelabi, indicated that 24 candidates secured House of Representatives tickets, while 40 emerged as candidates for the State Assembly election.
However, Tinubu-Ojo faulted the outcome in some constituencies, insisting that certain aspirants who won the primaries were being unfairly sidelined.
She specifically referenced the contests in Mushin Federal Constituency II, Agege Constituency II and Ojokoro, maintaining that Seye Oladejo, Mutiu Olaide Oladeebo and Olotu Ojo rightfully emerged victorious.
“We are ready to take to the streets because these individuals won the elections and their mandates must not be tampered with,” she said.
The market leader appealed to the national leadership of the APC and party elders in Lagos to urgently intervene and review the disputed results before they are officially ratified.
She warned that failure to address the complaints could widen divisions within the ruling party ahead of the next election cycle.
Tinubu-Ojo also criticised the growing rivalry between the Justice Forum and Mandate Group factions within the Lagos APC, describing the development as dangerous to party unity.
According to her, political actors were increasingly abandoning one bloc for another due to perceptions surrounding the governorship ambition of Deputy Governor Obafemi Hamzat.
She maintained that all APC members in Lagos deserved equal treatment irrespective of political alignment within the party.
“We are all members of the same political family. Politics should not become a system where only one group benefits while others are ignored,” she stated.
Tinubu-Ojo further reaffirmed the support of traders and market women for Hamzat and other APC candidates, while calling for greater political recognition for market stakeholders in the state.
She said traders remained a major force behind the electoral success of the APC in Lagos and should be adequately represented in governance and appointments.
0 Comments