By Henry Ojelu

Crisis appears to be brewing within the Lagos State chapter of the All Progressives Congress, APC, as aggrieved aspirants have demanded the cancellation of the party’s House of Representatives primaries conducted on Monday over alleged widespread irregularities.

The aspirants, in separate petitions addressed to President Bola Tinubu, APC National Chairman, Professor Nentawe Yilwatda, Lagos APC Chairman, Pastor Cornelius Ojelabi, and other party leaders, accused some party leaders of manipulating the exercise to favour preferred candidates.

Among those who filed petitions are former Lagos APC spokesman, Oluseye Oladejo, who contested for Mushin Federal Constituency; Akeem Animashaun for Mainland Federal Constituency; Kolawole Taiwo for Ajeromi-Ifelodun Federal Constituency; Ayodele Adewale for Amuwo-Odofin Federal Constituency; Dr. Adesola Samuel Adedayo for Apapa Federal Constituency; and Prince Abdul Animashaun.

The petitioners alleged that Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, Deputy Governor Obafemi Hamzat, and the lawmaker representing Ikeja Federal Constituency, James Faleke, influenced the primaries in favour of aspirants aligned with the Justice Forum caucus.
Some of the aspirants also alleged that returning officers abandoned polling centres after discovering that candidates outside the preferred political bloc were leading.
In his petition, Ayodele Adewale challenged the results declared in several wards in Amuwo-Odofin Federal Constituency, alleging substantial breaches of the Electoral Act 2026 and the APC constitution.

According to him, “forged voters were admitted, agents were denied accreditation, violence was permitted, and thousands of registered members were unlawfully disenfranchised.”

He further alleged that the returning officer abandoned the polling unit during a critical stage of the exercise before later returning to announce disputed results.

Adewale called on the APC leadership to nullify the outcome of the primary and conduct a full investigation into the accreditation and voting process across the constituency.

Similarly, in Ajeromi-Ifelodun Federal Constituency, Kolawole Taiwo alleged that the official results announced did not reflect the actual votes cast during the exercise.
According to him, while the incumbent lawmaker, Kalejaiye Paul, allegedly scored 112 votes, he secured 3,821 votes.

Another aspirant from the constituency, Ganiyu Adele Ayuba, also petitioned the party leadership, insisting that he won the primary with 37,021 votes and demanding the cancellation of the declaration of Olabisi Adebajo as winner.

In Mushin Federal Constituency, Oluseye Oladejo alleged that the returning officer disappeared from the collation centre at the Mushin Local Government Secretariat shortly after receiving a telephone call.

He claimed that results from three wards already collated showed he was leading before the official allegedly left the venue.

“He later reappeared at the state secretariat of the party late in the evening and allegedly submitted falsified and concocted figures to favour the incumbent,” the petition stated.

The aggrieved aspirants warned that failure by the party leadership to address the alleged irregularities could create disaffection within the party ahead of the 2027 general elections.

Reacting to the allegations, the Chief Press Secretary to Governor Sanwo-Olu, Gbenga Akosile, denied claims that the governor and his deputy interfered in the process.

Akosile maintained that all factions within the party were harmonised ahead of the primaries and that all aspirants were given a fair and level playing ground.