By Ghazali Ibrahim
Tensions within the Lagos State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) flared on Monday as members from all 57 Local Council Development Areas (LCDAs) staged a peaceful protest outside the Lagos State House of Assembly, demanding the removal of the party’s state chairman, Pastor Cornelius Ojelabi, and federal lawmaker James Faleke.
The demonstrators accused the party leadership of “anti-grassroots leadership” and “imposition of candidates” during the recently concluded local government elections.
According to The Punch, they carried placards bearing inscriptions such as “Ojelabi Must Go,” “Faleke is a Betrayer,” and “Ojelabi, Mr Voters Apathy.”
Security personnel mounted a heavy presence at the Assembly complex to prevent any escalation, though the protest remained peaceful.
At the height of the demonstration, Lagos State Deputy Governor Dr Obafemi Hamzat arrived with his entourage but was unable to address the angry crowd.
Protesters surrounded his vehicle, chanting and demanding immediate action from the government.
With no safe opportunity to engage, Hamzat’s convoy was forced to leave without speaking to the demonstrators.
One of the protest leaders, Ogumba Adetunbosun from Ikorodu, said the action was triggered by dissatisfaction over the exclusion of grassroots voices in the selection of Supervisors and Secretaries to Local Governments.
“Chairmen and vice-chairmen have emerged, but when it came to appointing Supervisors and Secretaries, we were sidelined. There was no consultation, no dialogue, and that’s not democracy,” Adetunbosun said.
He added that the protest was not against the elected officials but against the lack of inclusion in governance.
“We are not hoodlums. We want peaceful engagement like we used to have in the days of Senator Bayo Oshinowo, who believed in justice for the grassroots,” he said.
Another protester, Mrs Bola Balogun from Agbado Oke-Odo LCDA, accused Ojelabi and Faleke of stifling internal democracy and ignoring the base that delivered votes for the party.
“Governor Sanwo-Olu said we shouldn’t appoint Supervisors for six months. Why? They want to impose people on us. We voted for Mr Governor and President Tinubu, not for them to impose appointees on us. Ojelabi and Faleke are choking Lagos APC,” Balogun lamented.
She appealed directly to President Bola Tinubu to intervene before the crisis weakens the party’s dominance in the state.
“President Tinubu should please come to our aid. We’re tired. Is this the reward for our loyalty?”
A visibly angry party elder from Onigbogbo LCDA, Alhaji Talibu Lawal, echoed similar sentiments, accusing the leadership of handpicking appointees without grassroots input.
“Faleke, Ojelabi, and Alhaja Akerele should leave. They keep imposing people on us. If this continues, they will destroy Lagos for Tinubu,” Lawal warned.
Protesters said they intended to submit a formal petition to Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, accusing the state party hierarchy of creating division and voter apathy within the APC.
As of press time, neither the Lagos State APC leadership nor the Office of the Governor had issued an official response to the protest.
