APC Primary Crisis Deepens in Lagos as Angry Protesters Storm Party Secretariat, Demand Cancellation of Controversial Results.

APC Primary Crisis Deepens in Lagos as Angry Protesters Storm Party Secretariat, Demand Cancellation of Controversial Results.

Tension erupted at the Lagos State Secretariat of the All Progressives Congress on Tuesday as scores of furious party members and aggrieved aspirants flooded the party headquarters in Ikeja, demanding the cancellation of several legislative primary election results over allegations of manipulation, intimidation and widespread irregularities.

Despite heavy rainfall in parts of Lagos, the protesters arrived in large numbers, chanting solidarity songs, waving placards and accusing some party leaders of attempting to impose candidates against the will of party members ahead of the 2027 general elections.

The dramatic protest exposed growing cracks within the ruling party in Lagos, with demonstrators insisting that the integrity of the APC’s internal democratic process was under serious threat.

The aggrieved members, drawn from different constituencies including Amuwo-Odofin Federal Constituency, Amuwo-Odofin Constituency II, Ajeromi-Ifelodun Federal Constituency, Oshodi-Isolo Constituency I and Somolu Constituency II, demanded an immediate review of the recently concluded House of Representatives and Lagos State House of Assembly primaries conducted by the party in May.

Although the APC had already announced winners of the primaries and forwarded names of successful candidates, several aspirants and supporters rejected the outcomes, insisting that the published results did not reflect the true wishes of party members who participated in the direct primaries.

Many of the protesters accused party officials of compromising the process through result manipulation, voter intimidation, exclusion of aspirants from key electoral procedures and the alleged use of unauthorized accreditation methods.

One of the major petitions submitted during the protest came from House of Representatives aspirant for Amuwo-Odofin Federal Constituency, Mr Ayodele Adewale, who strongly challenged the credibility of the primary election conducted across the constituency’s 11 wards.

According to Adewale, the exercise was plagued by serious procedural breaches that undermined the legitimacy of the election.

He alleged that officials failed to use an authentic APC membership register during accreditation and instead relied on APC slips that were neither officially verified nor properly recognized by the party’s electoral guidelines.

Adewale further argued that the irregularities created room for manipulation and called on the appeal committee to thoroughly investigate both the accreditation and voting processes.

He urged the party leadership to nullify the election outcome and conduct a transparent exercise that truly reflects the wishes of party members.

Another aspirant, Mr David Doherty, who contested for the Lagos State House of Assembly ticket in Amuwo-Odofin Constituency II, also rejected the outcome of the primary election, accusing party leaders of lacking transparency and fairness throughout the process.

Doherty alleged that aspirants were sidelined from crucial decisions leading up to the election and claimed that the process was deliberately skewed in favour of preferred candidates.

He further alleged that violence marred voting activities in some riverine communities, where armed men reportedly fired gunshots, causing panic among party members and forcing many voters to flee polling areas for safety.

The aspirant described the incident as unacceptable and called for the cancellation of the constituency’s results, insisting that those responsible for electoral violence and misconduct must be sanctioned to serve as a deterrent to others.

The crisis was not limited to Amuwo-Odofin alone.

In Ajeromi-Ifelodun Federal Constituency, aggrieved party members and petitioners accused electoral officials of allegedly manipulating results and violating laid-down procedures during collation.

According to the protesters, some electoral officers failed to appear at designated collation centres, creating confusion and suspicion among party members.

They also alleged that figures were altered during the collation process and that votes were unlawfully inflated in some wards to favour certain aspirants.

The petitioners demanded a comprehensive verification of ward-by-ward results as well as a forensic examination of disputed result sheets, signatures and accreditation records.

Speaking during the protest, Prince Hakeem Ola, who represented protesters from Amuwo-Odofin Constituency II, insisted that the alleged treatment of aspirant David Doherty was unjust and politically motivated.

Ola maintained that party members had freely voted during the primaries and claimed that Doherty emerged victorious before attempts were allegedly made to overturn the outcome in favour of another candidate.

According to him, allowing such actions to stand would damage the credibility of the APC and discourage loyal party members who believed in democratic participation.

“We cannot continue to preach democracy while denying party members the right to freely choose their candidates,” he said during the demonstration.

Another protester from Agege Local Government Area, Mr Oluwasola Olugbemi, warned party leaders against what he described as the dangerous trend of candidate imposition.

He argued that ignoring the wishes of grassroots members could weaken confidence in the party and trigger deeper divisions ahead of future elections.

Olugbemi stressed that internal democracy remained one of the foundations of any credible political party and urged the APC leadership to act swiftly before the crisis escalates further.

Protesters from Oshodi-Isolo Constituency I and Somolu Constituency II also joined the demonstration, submitting separate petitions over alleged attempts to alter already announced primary results.

The demonstrators urged the party’s national leadership to protect the integrity of the electoral process and ensure that authentic results were upheld.

Many of the protesters expressed fears that unresolved grievances could negatively affect party unity and mobilization ahead of the 2027 general elections.

As the protest intensified outside the APC secretariat in Ikeja, security operatives closely monitored the situation to prevent any breakdown of law and order.

Despite the tension and growing frustration among demonstrators, the protest remained largely peaceful, with protesters repeatedly demanding justice, transparency and accountability from party leaders.

Meanwhile, the Lagos State chapter of the APC dismissed viral social media claims alleging that the state chairman, Pastor Cornelius Ojelabi, was harassed during the protest.

In a statement issued by the Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity to the chairman, Mrs Omobola Akingbehin, the party clarified that Ojelabi was not present at the secretariat when the protesters arrived.

The statement described reports of harassment as false and misleading, urging the public to disregard unverified information circulating online.

Akingbehin noted that while the APC respected the constitutional rights of members to express grievances peacefully, all complaints arising from the primaries should be handled through established internal mechanisms already put in place by the party.

She explained that the primary election process had officially been concluded and assured members that appeal structures were available to address legitimate concerns.

The party further appealed to aggrieved aspirants and their supporters to remain calm and pursue peaceful resolutions in the interest of unity and stability within the APC.

According to the statement, preserving party cohesion ahead of the 2027 elections remains a priority for the leadership.

Observers say the unfolding crisis within the Lagos APC highlights the growing battle for political control and influence ahead of the next election cycle, particularly in strategic constituencies where competition for legislative tickets remains intense.

Political analysts also warn that failure to transparently address the grievances raised by party members could deepen internal divisions and potentially weaken the party’s grassroots structure in Africa’s most politically significant state.

For now, the protesting members insist they will continue to push for justice until their petitions are fairly reviewed and what they describe as manipulated outcomes are overturned.

With tensions still simmering, attention now shifts to the APC leadership and appeal committees, whose next decisions could determine whether the crisis is peacefully resolved or escalates into a broader political confrontation within the ruling party.