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LAGOS, Nigeria - In anticipation of the Local Government Elections set for July 12, 2025, the Lagos chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has disqualified 38 aspirants for chairmanship positions due to failure to meet the necessary requirements for the council elections. Concurrently, the party’s Electoral Committee has approved 432 candidates to compete in the upcoming primary elections.
Additionally, the top leaders of the Ojokoro APC have provided what they claim is the official list of chairmanship candidates to party chairman Cornelius Ojelabi, advocating for Mobolaji Sanusi as the consensus candidate for the council role. The statistics were published on Saturday, following the conclusion of the screening process conducted at the party’s secretariat located on Acme Road, in the Ogba area of the state.
Babatunde Ogala, a former National Legal Adviser for the party and ex-member of the Lagos State House of Assembly, has been designated as the chairman of the Electoral Committee, with Babarinde Nurudeen serving as Secretary. The committee is tasked with overseeing all activities and procedures leading to elections for the 57 council positions.
Among those who voluntarily withdrew was Abdul-Ganiyu Obasa, the son of Lagos Speaker Mudashiru Obasa, who was urged to withdraw by President Bola Tinubu, the party’s National Leader. According to the committee, disqualifications mainly resulted from the absence of Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs), missing APC membership cards, and falsified secondary school certificates.
Disqualified candidates have the chance to appeal from Sunday, May 4 to Monday, May 5. Those wishing to contest the primary elections' results can submit their petitions to the Appeal Committee between May 12 and 13.
In response, Ogala characterized the screening process as "thorough, rigorous, and challenging." He confirmed that all approved candidates possess the capability to provide effective governance at the grassroots level if elected.
In terms of gender representation among the aspirants, out of the total of 470, 411 were male and 59 were female, indicating the party’s commitment to gender sensitivity and the promotion of female participation in local politics.
Regarding the chairmanship contest in Ojokoro, the leaders' position was outlined in a letter dated May 3, 2025, titled: RE: Clarification and Submission Of Authentic List Signed By Majority Of Approved Ojokoro Apex Leaders For Mobolaji Sanusi’s Adoption As Chairmanship Consensus Candidate. The letter, signed by Ipoola Omisore (a two-term member of the Lagos State House of Assembly) and Adisa Owolabi (the most recent member of the House of Representatives), stated: “Following our letter from yesterday (Friday, May 2, 2025), please find attached the original list of authentic leaders who voluntarily signed for the endorsement of Mr. Mobolaji Sanusi as the CONSENSUS Candidate of our esteemed APC party in the upcoming local government elections. The names of the Ojokoro leaders attached here are intended to eliminate any uncertainties and for the necessary information of our party:
- Hon. Ipoola Omisore (two-term member, Lagos State House of Assembly)
- Chief Oluyomi Olaogun (an esteemed octogenarian and politician in Ojokoro and Lagos State)
- Otunba Aremu Akindele (the pioneer chairman of Ifako-Ijaiye Local Government)
- Hon. Adisa Owolabi (the immediate past member of the House of Representatives)
- Hon. Emmanuel Olotu (currently serving member of the Lagos State House of Assembly)
- Hon. Jelili Oseni (former councilor and current APC LG Chairman in Ojokoro)
- Dr. Waheel Adeleke Ipaye (former Sole Administrator of Ojokoro LCDA)
- Prince Adewale Bello (the most recent APC LG chairman in Ojokoro)
- Alhaji Aminu Amosun (former APC LG Chairman in Ojokoro)
- Dr. Idris Salako (former commissioner in Lagos State)
- Hon. HID Tijani (current chairman of Ojokoro LCDA).”
