By Peter Dansu Fresh cracks have emerged within the Lagos State chapter of the All Progressives Congress as the Iyaloja-General of Nigeria,...
By Peter Dansu
Fresh cracks have emerged within the Lagos State chapter of the All Progressives Congress as the Iyaloja-General of Nigeria, Mrs. Folashade Tinubu-Ojo, threatened to mobilise a protest over the outcome of the party’s recently concluded primaries ahead of the 2027 general elections, report by Punch Newspapers Newspapers says
Tinubu-Ojo, daughter of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, raised the alarm on Wednesday during the weekly meeting of market leaders and stakeholders held at her office in Alausa, Ikeja, accusing party leaders of allegedly manipulating results in favour of the APC’s Justice Forum bloc.
Her outburst followed the release of the Lagos APC list of successful candidates for the House of Representatives and Lagos State House of Assembly primaries, which was officially signed by the state party chairman, Cornelius Ojelabi.
The list showed that 24 candidates emerged for the House of Representatives tickets, while 40 candidates secured tickets for the Lagos State House of Assembly across the state’s constituencies.
However, Tinubu-Ojo insisted that the outcomes in Mushin Federal Constituency 2, Agege Constituency 2 and Ojokoro constituency did not reflect the true results of the exercise.
She specifically defended the victories of Hon. Seye Oladejo in Mushin Federal Constituency 2, Mutiu Olaide Oladeebo in Agege 2 constituency and Olotu Ojo in Ojokoro constituency, warning against any attempt to substitute or alter their mandates.
“We are ready to protest because of Seye Oladejo of Mushin Federal Constituency 02, Mutiu Olaide Oladeebo of Agege 2 constituency, Olotu Ojo of Ojokoro constituency, because we know they won this election. Their mandate should not be given to somebody else,” she declared.
The APC chieftain called on the party’s state and national leadership to urgently investigate the disputed primaries before final ratification of the results, warning that unresolved grievances could worsen internal tensions and threaten party unity ahead of the 2027 elections.
She alleged that internal party structures were increasingly being manipulated along factional lines between the Justice Forum and the Mandate Group, a development she said was creating unhealthy divisions within the ruling party.
According to her, the perceived alignment of many party members with the Justice Forum was linked to the governorship ambition of Deputy Governor Obafemi Hamzat, whom she identified as belonging to the bloc.
“We have to cry out now. Let APC cancel Justice and Mandate Forums. We are one family. We are for APC. Now, they are using Justice Forum and Mandate because our candidate, Obafemi Hamzat, belongs to the Justice Forum,” she said.
Tinubu-Ojo lamented what she described as the growing belief among party members that political relevance now depended on belonging to a particular faction, warning that such a trend could discourage loyalty and hard work within the party.
“It is saddening. It is a way of telling us that hard work does not pay in politics. Something must be done about it,” she added.
She further stressed that leadership within the APC should accommodate all interests irrespective of factional affiliations, noting that governance must be inclusive and balanced.
The market leader also reaffirmed the support of traders and market women across Lagos for the governorship ambition of Obafemi Hamzat and other APC candidates, while demanding greater political inclusion and recognition for traders in governance and appointments.
According to her, market women remain a major political force in Lagos and should not be sidelined after elections.
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