Abdul-Ganiyu Obasa, the son of Lagos State House of Assembly Speaker, Mudashiru Obasa, has been disqualified from contesting the All Progressives Congress (APC) primary election for the chairmanship of Agege Local Government, despite having strong grassroots support and key endorsements.
The Lagos APC Electoral Committee, led by former National Legal Adviser Babatunde Ogala, released its final list of approved chairmanship aspirants on Friday. Out of 470 individuals screened between April 29 and May 3 at the party’s secretariat in Ogba, only 432 were cleared, while 38 — including Abdul-Ganiyu — were either disqualified or withdrew from the race.
Although official reasons for disqualifications included issues like lack of Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs), missing APC membership documents, and certificate discrepancies, party insiders believe Abdul-Ganiyu’s removal was politically influenced. His disqualification has sparked speculations within Agege political circles, especially as he reportedly enjoyed the backing of the current local government chairman, Ganiyu Egunjobi, and Vice Chairman Oluwagbenga Abiola.
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Abiola, a loyalist of Speaker Obasa, had earlier stepped down from the race, stating: “I will never go against my leader, Mudashiru Ajayi Obasa,” and pledged continued service to the party. Abdul-Ganiyu’s supporters had also lined up a full slate of seven councillorship aspirants under his proposed leadership structure.
The development comes ahead of the APC’s indirect primary scheduled for May 10, and political watchers say the disqualification of the speaker’s son could signal a shift in Agege’s political structure. It may also reflect a broader strategy within the APC to manage internal power balances between local and national interests.
The Lagos State Independent Electoral Commission (LASIEC) has confirmed that the Lagos local government elections will take place on July 12 across the state’s 20 Local Government Areas and 37 Local Council Development Areas (LCDAs), involving 57 chairmanship and 376 councillorship positions.
