Lagos APC Aspirants Accuse Speaker Obasa of Rigging Agege Primary

LAGOS — All Progressives Congress aspirants in Lagos State have accused House of Assembly Speaker Mudashiru Obasa of manipulating the results of primary elections in the Agege constituency. The aspirants published their allegations on Friday, demanding a fresh primary or the nullification of the disputed results.

The aggrieved aspirants said Obasa used his influence over party structures in Agege to ensure his preferred candidates emerged from the primaries. They alleged that delegates were replaced, votes were inflated, and some polling venues were moved at the last minute without notice to other aspirants.

A spokesperson for the affected aspirants, Bello Adekunle, said documentary evidence will be submitted to the APC national appeal committee. “What happened in Agege was not a primary. It was a selection. We have the evidence and we will pursue every legal avenue available to us,” Adekunle said.

Speaker Obasa has not publicly responded to the allegations as of Friday morning. His political allies in Agege denied that the primaries were manipulated and said the results accurately reflect the democratic choice of APC delegates.

Lagos APC Under Internal Fire

The Agege allegations are part of a wider wave of complaints from APC aspirants across Lagos State. The primary exercise has produced multiple disputes across different constituencies. Critics say Obasa, despite being embroiled in his own political battles, continues to wield significant influence over Lagos APC structures.

Obasa himself is a controversial figure. He was impeached as Speaker in January 2025, but the High Court later reinstated him. Desmond Elliot, another Lagos APC figure, revealed this week that he voted for the impeachment believing it had presidential backing.

Furthermore, former Lagos Governor Bola Tinubu loyalists and newer APC factions in Lagos have been jostling for control of the party ahead of 2027. The primaries have exposed the depth of those internal tensions in ways that could damage the party’s cohesion.

Appeal Process Begins

The APC national appeal committee has begun receiving petitions from aggrieved aspirants across all states. The committee has a 72-hour window to process complaints after primaries. Aspirants who are not satisfied with the committee’s decisions can take their cases to the Federal High Court.

INEC is watching the APC’s internal disputes closely. The commission has the authority to reject candidates whose primaries do not meet legal requirements. Several of the ongoing disputes could affect whether certain APC candidates are formally recognised before the May 30 submission deadline.

Civil society observers say the volume of disputes from APC primaries raises serious questions about the party’s internal democracy. They warn that a party that cannot conduct credible primaries is poorly positioned to deliver credible general elections in 2027.