Several members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Lagos State staged peaceful demonstrations on Tuesday, converging at the party’s secretariat on ACME Road in Ikeja to protest the outcome of last weekend’s local government primaries.
The demonstrations coincided with the final day set by the party’s Appeal Committee for aggrieved chairmanship aspirants to submit their petitions. The committee, headed by Lagos State’s Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Lawal Pedro (SAN), was established in response to widespread dissatisfaction that followed Saturday’s primaries—dissatisfaction expressed both online and in physical protests.
On Saturday, the APC conducted its primary elections at its Ikeja headquarters to choose chairmanship candidates for the 20 local government areas (LGAs) and 37 local council development areas (LCDAs) ahead of the July 12 local polls. However, the process has been marred by internal controversy, particularly over the use of consensus arrangements to select candidates.
In some areas, such as Lagos Mainland LGA and Yaba LCDA, the primaries ended without any candidates being declared. On the day of the vote, party members from those districts took to the streets in Ebute Meta, rejecting the imposition of consensus candidates and calling for transparent elections.
Despite such pushback, the primaries went ahead in most areas, ultimately producing 55 candidates through a mix of consensus and delegate voting. Still, unrest continues in several councils, where party loyalists have condemned the selection process as flawed and undemocratic.
Reacting to the growing unrest, APC spokesperson Oluseye Oladejo issued a statement on Monday confirming that the party had “inaugurated an Appeal Committee to address the complaints of dissatisfied aspirants who participated in the primaries.”
The committee’s formation is seen as an attempt to contain internal dissent and restore confidence ahead of the July elections.
Oladejo stated, “The committee is made up of Mr. Lawal Pedro, SAN, who is also the Attorney-General and Honorable Commissioner for Justice in Lagos State, and Otunba Abiodun Olufowobi as Secretary. Other members include Rt. Hon. Jokotola Pelumi, a former Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly; former House member and state secretary of the party, Hon. Lanre Ogunyemi; and Chief Chukwudi Adiukwu.”
He added, “We, hereby, advise discontented aspirants to submit their appeals to the committee not later than 12 pm on Tuesday, May 13, 2025.”
