Tension In Lagos APC: Powerful GAC Leaders Push For Ojelabi’s Sack

Some members of the Governance Advisory Council (GAC) of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Lagos State are reportedly at odds over increasing calls for the removal of the party’s state chairman, Cornelius Ojelabi.

The internal rift follows a protest staged at the Lagos State House of Assembly on Monday by aggrieved party members, who accused Ojelabi of “imposing candidates” and “neglecting grassroots leadership.”

Protesters from various local government areas carried placards with messages such as “Ojelabi Must Go,” “Faleke is a Betrayal,” and “Ojelabi, Mr. Voter’s Apathy.”

Ogumba Adetunbosun, a protest leader from Ikorodu, told Punch that their anger stemmed from how local government elections were conducted and how appointments were made without consultation.

“We’re grassroots politicians from all 57 local councils. Our protest is against the injustice we saw in the just-concluded LG elections. While chairmen and vice-chairmen were elected, the appointment of supervisors and secretaries was done without input from the people. That’s not democracy,” he stated.

Another protester, Mrs. Bola Balogun from Agbado Oke-Odo LCDA, criticized top APC figures for undermining local governance by delaying appointments and imposing loyalists.

“Governor Sanwo-Olu instructed that supervisors should not be appointed for two months. Why? They want to install their loyalists. We didn’t vote for this kind of imposition. Ojelabi and Faleke are suffocating Lagos APC by ignoring the grassroots and weakening democratic values,” she said.

Amid the unrest, GAC member Muraina Taiwo also backed the demand for Ojelabi’s removal, alleging that the chairman shows favoritism toward a party faction called the Justice Forum, sidelining others like the Mandate Group.

“Many party stakeholders are unhappy with Ojelabi. They feel he’s loyal only to the Justice Forum. In Oshodi, I’ve built this party since Lateef Jakande’s time. Yet when my son ran for councillor, they blocked him, claiming they preferred a female candidate—only because we’re not part of their faction,” Muraina said.

Though Muraina didn’t participate in the protest, he admitted that Ojelabi’s factional bias has become obvious. Regarding the appointment of LG supervisors, he acknowledged that it has traditionally involved approval from the governor and party leadership.