APC primaries: Aspirants clear Obasa of protest sponsorship allegation

A coalition of All Progressives Congress aspirants who participated in the party’s primaries in Lagos State has dismissed claims linking the Speaker of the state House of Assembly, Mudashiru Obasa, to the recent protest by aggrieved party members over the outcome of the exercise.

Viral messages had alleged that Obasa sponsored Tuesday’s protest at the Lagos State Secretariat of the APC, Ogba, and even claimed he released N2bn to bankroll the demonstration.

The protest, which drew APC members from several local government areas, including Badagry, Mushin, Amuwo-Odofin, Eti-Osa, Somolu, Ajeromi and Oshodi, was staged over alleged irregularities in the primaries.

The protesters accused party leaders of manipulation of results and demanded transparency in the process.

However, in a statement on Wednesday, the aggrieved aspirants described suggestions that the protest was sponsored as false and misleading, insisting it was a spontaneous expression of dissatisfaction.

“To suggest that thousands of committed APC members and supporters required sponsorship before voicing their frustrations is insulting to their intelligence and dismissive of their legitimate concerns,” the statement said.

The aspirants said the demonstration was triggered by allegations of manipulation, distortion of results, cheating and disregard for party guidelines during the primaries.

They accused unnamed individuals of attempting to shift attention away from the core issues by scapegoating the Speaker.

“Rather than addressing the issues at the heart of the protest, some individuals have chosen the convenient path of scapegoating. Such futile attempts are clearly designed to shift public attention away from the need for fairness and party cohesion,” they said.

The coalition urged party leaders to urgently address grievances arising from the primaries, warning that failure to do so could deepen internal divisions ahead of the 2027 general elections.

“The concerns of aggrieved aspirants and their supporters deserve attention, not diversion. Addressing these grievances sincerely and urgently will strengthen confidence in the party’s internal democratic processes and enable us to approach the forthcoming elections with a united and formidable front,” the statement added.

Reacting to the allegations, Obasa dismissed claims of involvement in the protest, describing them as “foolhardy, malicious, misleading and baseless.”

He questioned the logic behind the accusations, insisting he was neither a candidate nor a beneficiary of the disputed primaries.

“To achieve what exactly? I am not a candidate in the disputed election, so why and how will I devote such an amount of money to organising protests?” he asked.

Obasa added that he remained committed to peace and unity within the party.