Abuja: A group representing the executive members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Agege Local Government Area of Lagos State on Friday protested at the party’s national headquarters in Abuja over the outcome of its primary election for Agege Constituency I. The group alleged that the result of the primary election was altered after the exercise and called on the APC National Chairman, Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda, and the party’s National Working Committee (NWC) to review the outcome.
According to News Agency of Nigeria, the leader of the group, Mr. Johnson Kolawole, during a news conference, stated that the protesters included chairmen and secretaries of the five wards in Agege Local Government Area, as well as the local government party chairman and secretary. Kolawole alleged that Mr. Egunjobi Ganiyu Kola won the APC primary election conducted on May 20 but was not subsequently recognized as the party’s candidate for the Lagos State House of Assembly election.
Kolawole claimed that Kola secured 9,132 votes out of the 10,126 votes cast across the five wards in the constituency. He noted that another aspirant, Mr. Oladipo Tunde Shola, polled 560 votes, while Mr. Michael Abiola scored 434 votes. Kolawole further alleged that Egunjobi was duly screened, cleared, and declared the winner of the primary by the designated returning officer, Hon. Kayode Kassim Eleshin, at the conclusion of the exercise.
He added that the primary election was monitored by APC officials, officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), security agencies, journalists, and other stakeholders, describing the process as peaceful, transparent, and credible. The group, however, expressed concern over the publication of Mr. Oluwagbenga Michael Abiola as the APC candidate for Agege Constituency I in a newspaper publication dated May 25.
Kolawole argued that the published result did not reflect the outcome announced at the primary election and urged the party’s national leadership to review the records of the exercise. ‘We respectfully urge the National Working Committee and all relevant organs and committees of our great party to uphold the authentic result as declared by the returning officer and formally recognize Egunjobi Ganiyu Kola as the duly elected APC candidate for Lagos State House of Assembly, Agege Constituency I,’ he said.
Kolawole stated that the group was prepared to provide documentary and video evidence from the five wards, as well as reports from election observers and security agencies, to support its claims. He also appealed to President Bola Tinubu and the APC leadership to intervene and ensure that what the group described as the genuine mandate of party members in the constituency was protected.