By Dansu Peter As political tension continues to mount in Lagos ahead of the July 12 local government elections, President Bola Ahmed Tinu...
By Dansu Peter
Yesterday, May 3, the Lagos State chapter of the APC cleared 432 chairmanship aspirants to contest in the upcoming party primaries. However, 38 aspirants were disqualified for not meeting critical requirements. While the stage appears set for what should be an internal democratic contest, the real story lies beneath the surface—where power plays, godfatherism, and a push for party supremacy are unfolding in real time.
At the center of the latest political drama is the son of the Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Abdul-Ganiyu Obasa, whose controversial endorsement as APC chairmanship candidate for Agege LGA triggered uproar within party ranks.
What began as internal grumblings quickly spilled into the open in Ojokoro LCDA, where irate youths and party stakeholders disrupted a meeting, accusing the Speaker of attempting to impose his son on the council. Protesters carried placards bearing messages such as, "Obasa should not impose a chairman on us from Agege," and "You can’t bring a stranger to lead us."
“We reject any attempt to sideline loyal party members who have served this council,” declared one of the protest leaders, Mr. Olusegun Akinoso-Olawaye. “Let everyone test their strength at the primaries.”
But the real twist, according to Vanguard came when President Tinubu reportedly stepped in to quell the controversy. According to party sources, Tinubu ordered the Speaker to withdraw his son from the race and allow an open, transparent primary contest in line with the APC’s renewed commitment to internal democracy.
Presidency sources said Tinubu, still mindful of the shocking loss he suffered in Lagos during the 2023 presidential election, is determined to ensure only popular and credible candidates fly the party’s flag this time around. His message to the party leadership: No more imposition—every aspirant must earn their mandate.
To underscore this new approach, APC leaders returning from a closed-door meeting with Tinubu in Abuja conveyed his decision to local party organs. The President was said to have made it clear that every aspirant must be given equal opportunity to contest, and that loyalty to individual godfathers would not supersede party unity or public acceptability.
Following Tinubu’s directive, Obasa reportedly instructed those who had earlier stepped down for his son to re-enter the race and collect nomination forms. Abdul-Ganiyu Obasa, notably, was absent during the recent APC screening exercise in Ikeja—an indication that he may have quietly bowed out of the race.
The intervention has been hailed by party insiders who have long expressed concerns about the return of ‘Baba Sope’ politics—a local term for imposition of candidates—within the Lagos APC. “This is what we’ve been asking for. Let the people decide, not power brokers,” said one party stalwart in Alimosho.
Meanwhile, interest in the chairmanship and councillorship races has reached fever pitch. At least 650 nomination forms have been sold for chairmanship seats across the 20 LGAs and 37 LCDAs, while nearly a million forms have reportedly been purchased for 114 councillorship positions.
Campaigns, which officially began on April 18, will run until July 9, just days before the election. A possible re-run has been scheduled for July 19 by the Lagos State Independent Electoral Commission (LASIEC), which recently released the formal Notice of Election.
As APC prepares for its primaries on May 10, the spotlight remains firmly on how the party navigates internal tensions. Tinubu’s intervention may have just set a new tone for the party—one that prioritizes merit over muscle.
Whether this move will resonate with the grassroots and help the APC maintain its dominance in Lagos remains to be seen. For now, the message is clear: the era of unchecked Imposition is likely over.
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