By Esther Onyegbula

Members of the All Progressives Congress, APC, in Badagry on Friday staged a protest, demanding a review of the outcome of the Lagos State House of Assembly primary election for Badagry Constituency II, alleging that the results were manipulated during collation.

The protesters, who marched through parts of the town despite a heavy downpour, carried placards with inscriptions such as “Respect the will of the people,” “Setonji 3014 votes won, 2209 votes failed,” “We say no to mandate snatching in Badagry Constituency II,” “We will not be silenced,” and “The people have spoken, Setonji David is our choice.”
Speaking with journalists during the protest, Director-General of the Setonji David Campaign Organisation, Mr. Akindele Ogunlana, alleged that the results announced at the collation centre did not reflect the outcome recorded at the ward level.
According to him, results obtained from the five wards showed that Mr. Setonji David secured 3,014 votes and emerged winner of the primary.

He said: “The results brought to us from the five wards indicated that our man, Setonji David, won the primary.
“Surprisingly, when we got to the collation centre, our agents were prevented from entering by soldiers allegedly hired by some politicians to man the place.

“Consequently, in the evening, they brought a fictitious result that indicated that the third person in the winning list had won the election.”
Ogunlana appealed to President Bola Tinubu, Lagos APC Chairman, Pastor Cornelius Ojelabi, and other party leaders in Lagos and Badagry to intervene and ensure that the mandate was returned to David.
Also speaking, a youth leader in Badagry, Mr. Kiki Sewanu, said young party members were dissatisfied with the outcome of the primary, describing the declared result as unacceptable.
According to him, thousands of youths participated in the protest to register their grievances over what they considered irregularities in the exercise.
“The result of the primary is a mockery of democracy in Badagry Constituency II. We are calling on the leadership of the party to correct it and give the mandate to the rightful winner,” he said.

Sewanu added that the outcome of the primary had created confusion among party members and residents of the constituency.
Another party leader, Mr. Sedegla Pot-Balogun, expressed similar concerns, arguing that President Tinubu’s political philosophy was rooted in democratic values and fairness.

He said it would be inconsistent with those principles for a candidate allegedly ranked third in the primary to emerge as the eventual winner.
Pot-Balogun further warned that failure to address the grievances could affect party unity ahead of the 2027 general elections.
According to him, the APC leadership should act swiftly to restore confidence among members and ensure justice is done.

The protesters later proceeded to the residence of Chief Moses Ogunbiyi, APC Apex Leader in Badagry Local Government Area, where they submitted their complaints.
Responding, Ogunbiyi commended the protesters for conducting themselves peacefully and urged them to avoid actions capable of creating division within the party.
He assured them that the concerns raised had been noted by the party leadership and that efforts were ongoing to resolve the matter.

While appealing for patience, Ogunbiyi urged members to remain loyal to the party and respect whatever decision eventually emerged from the leadership.
“I commend you for your peaceful conduct. The leadership of the party is aware of your grievances and efforts are being made to resolve the matter amicably,” he said.

He added that party members should remain law-abiding and continue to support the APC while awaiting the outcome of the review process.