Lagos APC primaries peaceful, hitch free, results coming in due course – Electoral c’ttee

.Obasa, Faleke win Agege, Ikeja House of Reps seats
.As aggrieved parties urged to embrace dialogue

By Olasunkanmi Akoni

The Electoral Committee for the All Progressives Congress, APC House of Representatives primaries election in Lagos State has described the exercise as peaceful and hitch free.

It said collation of results from the various wards in each federal constituencies will commence shortly at the party secretariat and announced subsequently.

Mr Saleh Yipmong, Chairman of the Electoral Committee, disclosed this on Saturday while addressing newsmen at the APC State Secretariat in Lagos after monitoring the exercise in some federal constituencies, including Ikeja, Ikorodu and Somolu.

Yipmong said after the committee concluded monitoring of the exercise in some areas and had returned to the secretariat the process of receiving and collating results from across the state would commence immediately.

According to him, “As you are aware, earlier this morning during our briefing session, guidelines and materials were distributed to various constituencies.

“We have gone round and confirmed that elections actually took place in some places.

“We are now back at the secretariat and, in a couple of minutes, by the grace of God, we will set up the collection centre.

“As results begin to come in, we will collate them and, at the end of the day, announce the results.”

The committee chairman said the exercise had been generally peaceful, hitch free in the constituencies visited by the committee.

“Generally, from the few places we have visited, the exercise has been peaceful and hitch free.

“As you can see, people with divergent views were seen together, even sharing refreshments before we arrived. That is an indication that the exercise has been conducted peacefully.

“We hope the same situation is replicated in other places,” he said.

Yipmong, commenting on the likely time for announcement of results, said “It depends on how quickly officials arrive with the results. If they come now, we can announce them immediately,” he said.

He said the appeals committee would begin sitting immediately after the exercise.

On some reported skirmishes in some local government areas, Yipmong said “At the moment, I have not received any official report on my desk. In the places we visited, the process was peaceful. I did not say we have gone to all the 24 constituencies.”

According to him, the committee remains open to addressing complaints that may arise during the collation process.

“We are back at the secretariat, where there are issues or any concerns. This is a known location where people can reach us.

“As we collect results, if there are issues, we will look into them accordingly. There is also an appeals process that can address disputes and provide solutions,” Yipmong said.

Massive turnout as Obasa wins Agege House of Reps seat

A massive crowd of party faithful thronged Agege Oluwole Primary School, venue of the All Progressives Congress, primary, as the Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Mudashiru Obasa, was voted unopposed as the APC, consensus candidate for the Agege Federal Constituency seat in the House of Representatives.

The hitch-free primary exercise saw card-carrying members in their numbers validate his candidacy, underscoring the strength of his grassroots support.

The development comes just days after Obasa’s May 13 declaration at a stakeholders’ meeting in Agege, where he announced his ambition to contest for the federal seat.

At that earlier event, he explained that his decision was driven by calls from party leaders and stakeholders who believed he could serve Agege more effectively at the national level.

“I answered the call of our leaders and stakeholders who believe I can serve Agege better. We must present candidates with capacity, loyalty, and commitment to the progress of Agege,” Obasa had said.

At the primary election, Obasa expressed gratitude for the overwhelming support from his constituency.

“I am deeply humbled by the confidence reposed in me by our leaders and members. Today’s validation is not just about me; it is about our collective resolve to continue building Agege and Lagos State on the foundation of progress and development,” he stated.

He further pledged to remain people-focused in his representation: “My commitment has always been to serve with integrity, to amplify the voices of our people, and to ensure that Agege continues to stand tall in the comity of constituencies. This validation strengthens my resolve to deliver more dividends of democracy.”

Speaking with newsmen earlier, Obasa, described the primaries as very peaceful and sign of strong internal democracy in the party.

He made the remarks shortly after voting at his ward in Agege, at about 1pm, where he was greeted by mammoth crowd.

Obasa said, “This is a fantastic exercise and a very good development and a new direction.

“We appreciate the National Chairman of APC and his team and party leaders in Lagos State.

“Though, we still await situation report from other wards but I want to believe it will be peaceful as well.”

Also commenting on aspirants who decided to step down in the course of the exercise, Obasa said,”it’s good for the unity of the party. APC has the characteristics of coming together after every disagreement. This is a pre election, the main election is coming in 2027.”

“For me, the most important thing is that we have allowed everyone to express themselves in this exercise.”

Meanwhile, party officials praised the peaceful conduct of the exercise, noting that it reflected the unity and discipline within the APC in Agege.

Observers also noted Obasa’s earlier endorsement of Ganiyu Egunjobi for Agege Constituency I and Azeez Oladapo Yusuf Ninolowo for Agege Constituency II as evidence of his broader strategy to consolidate party cohesion.

With the primary now concluded, Obasa is set to fly the APC flag in the forthcoming general election, a move that many believe will further entrench the party’s influence in Agege.

Lagos Mainland aggrieved members call for probe

Meanwhile, APC, House of Representatives primary election held in Lagos Mainland was thrown into crisis following allegations of widespread irregularities, voter intimidation and disruption of the electoral process across several voting centres.

The disruption was reported in areas like: Apapa Road, Makoko, Iwaya and Adekunle, where party members and delegates allegedly faced intimidation and were prevented from participating freely in the exercise.

According to eyewitnesses and party members, supporters of Kazeem Omolaja allegedly disrupted the exercise by forcing out participants and delegates believed to be loyal to one of the aspirants, Abdulhakeem Animashaun from the voting centres in the affected areas.

The development reportedly created tension and confusion, as aggrieved members accused some party leaders of attempting to manipulate the process in favour of a preferred candidate.

Supporters of Abdulhakeem Animashaun also alleged that loyalists of the local government chairman, simply identified as Emilagba, compromised the credibility of the exercise through various forms of electoral malpractices.

The aggrieved members claimed that official of APC membership voter cards were not used during the accreditation and voting process, raising concerns over the transparency and credibility of the election.

Speaking after the exercise, at press briefing, some loyalists of Animashaun, who also stormed APC Secretariat, Acme, Ogba, rejected the outcome of the primary election, insisting that the process failed to meet acceptable democratic standards.

“We reject whatever outcome emerges from today’s election because the process was flawed and manipulated,” one of the supporters stated during the protest.

Party members further called on the leadership of the APC to investigate the allegations and ensure justice for all aspirants and their supporters.

Security personnel were reportedly deployed to some of the affected centres to maintain law and order and prevent the situation from escalating further.

As of press time, the APC leadership in Lagos Mainland had yet to issue an official statement regarding the allegations and the disruption that marred the exercise.

The incident has, however, sparked concerns among party faithful over the credibility of the party’s internal electoral process ahead of the forthcoming 2027 general elections.

Also, loyalists of an aspirant at Oshodi-Isolo Constituency, Kehinde Bamigbetan, protested alleged electoral malpractice, accusing party leaders of biase.

“There was no election at Oshodi-Isolo. The electoral officials informed that they were asked to return Obe, a traitor and fraudster as winner,” loyalists claimed.

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