Tinubu-Ojo Threatens Protest Over Alleged Manipulation of Lagos APC Primaries

Tinubu-Ojo Threatens Protest Over Alleged Manipulation of Lagos APC Primaries

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s daughter and Iyaloja-General of Nigeria, Mrs. Folashade Tinubu-Ojo, has threatened a protest over the outcome of the recently conducted All Progressives Congress (APC) primaries in Lagos State, alleging that the exercise was manipulated in favour of the party’s Justice Forum bloc.

Tinubu-Ojo spoke on Wednesday during the weekly meeting of market leaders and stakeholders held at her office in Alausa, Ikeja, where she expressed dissatisfaction with the results released by the Lagos State chapter of the APC for Mushin Federal Constituency 2, Agege Constituency 2 and Ojokoro constituencies.

The Lagos APC had on Monday published the list of candidates who emerged from the House of Representatives and Lagos State House of Assembly primaries ahead of the 2027 general elections.

The list, signed by the Lagos APC Chairman, Cornelius Ojelabi, indicated that 24 candidates emerged for the House of Representatives tickets, while 40 candidates secured the party’s tickets for the Lagos State House of Assembly.

Among those listed as winners for the State Assembly seats were Mojisola Meranda for Apapa I, Musibau Lawal for Apapa II, Barakat Bakare-Odunuga for Surulere I, and Damilola Ayinde-Marshall for Surulere II, among others.

However, Tinubu-Ojo alleged that the results in some constituencies did not reflect the actual outcome of the primaries and called on the APC leadership at both state and national levels to urgently intervene before the results are ratified.

She specifically mentioned Hon. Seye Oladejo in Mushin Constituency 2, Mutiu Olaide Oladeebo in Agege 2, and Olotu Ojo in Ojokoro, insisting that they genuinely won the primaries and their mandates should not be altered.

“We are ready to protest because of Seye Oladejo of Mushin Federal Constituency 02, Mutiu Olaide Oladeebo of Agege 2 constituency, and Olotu Ojo of Ojokoro constituency because we know they won this election. Their mandate should not be given to somebody else,” she said.

Tinubu-Ojo warned that unresolved grievances from the primaries could create deeper divisions within the ruling party ahead of the 2027 general elections.

She accused some party leaders of manipulating internal structures along factional lines between the Justice Forum and Mandate Group, stressing that such divisions could threaten the unity of the APC in Lagos State.

“We have to cry out now. Let APC cancel Justice and Mandate Forums. We are one family. We are for APC,” she stated.

According to her, many politicians were allegedly defecting from the Mandate Group to the Justice Forum because they believed the camp was aligned with the governorship ambition of Deputy Governor Obafemi Hamzat.

“Now, they are using Justice Forum and Mandate because our candidate, Obafemi Hamzat, belongs to the Justice Forum. Everyone is now joining the Justice Forum because they believe that is where the incoming governor belongs,” she added.

Tinubu-Ojo further argued that political leadership should be inclusive and not based on factional loyalty.

“Even when he becomes governor, he will not govern only APC members; he has to balance it. Everyone must be carried along. If you are a leader, you are leading both your friends and foes,” she said.

She lamented what she described as the growing perception that hard work and loyalty no longer count in politics, warning that manipulation of party processes could discourage committed party members.

“I can’t understand members of Mandate Group dumping Mandate and joining Justice Forum. And if Mandate won the election, they would try to manipulate and put Justice Forum members there. It is saddening. It is a way of telling us that hard work does not pay in politics. Something must be done about it,” she said.

The Iyaloja-General also reaffirmed the commitment of market women across Lagos State to support the governorship ambition of Obafemi Hamzat and other APC candidates, while calling for greater political inclusion and recognition for traders.

According to her, market women remain a major political force in Lagos and deserve more representation in governance and political appointments.

Tinubu-Ojo Threatens Protest Over Alleged Manipulation of Lagos APC Primaries