Members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ojokoro Local Council Development Area (LCDA), Lagos State, staged a protest on Tuesday against the alleged imposition of candidates for the upcoming local government election scheduled for July 12, 2025.
The protest, which mirrored a similar outcry during a party stakeholders’ meeting on April 14, 2025, led to the abrupt end of the gathering in the area.
On Tuesday, supporters of certain chairmanship aspirants gathered at the APC party secretariat and marched to the LCDA secretariat to voice their dissatisfaction over the imposition of candidates.
Protesters, some of whom were vocal supporters of specific aspirants, expressed their anger by chanting slogans such as: “He is not part of us, no room for strangers in our LCDA,” “Elders and leaders are to build things, not destroy,” and “We want an indigenous leader to lead us, not a stranger.”
Others raised their fists in the air, continuing the chants: “Don’t sell Ojokoro to strangers,” “Don’t give us a stranger,” and “We want people from within, not outsiders.”
Placards bearing inscriptions such as “We don’t want it, we don’t like it, strangers cannot lead us,” “Hon. Ojelabi, the APC chairman, save APC Ojokoro,” and “No imposition, Obasa is forcing on us,” were also seen during the protest.
Speaking to journalists, one of the protest leaders, Olusegun Akinoso-Olawaye, emphasised that the party leaders should not ratify any candidate who was imposed.
“Don’t place a leader on people. Let all the aspirants go to the field in a free and fair primary. We are not for violence at all; we are APC members, and we will not allow imposition,” he said.
He further expressed, “We are here to reject imposition. All aspirants deserve a fair contest to prove their political relevance. It is not fair to impose leaders on people. Our leaders should not push party members to the wall.”
Another protest leader, Raimot Bello, echoed similar sentiments, stating that the protest aimed to prevent the installation of an unfamiliar figure as the next council chairman. She argued that such a move would not be beneficial to the party or its members.
The chairman of Ojokoro LCDA, Hammed Tijani, addressed the protesters, praising their peaceful approach. He reassured them, “We are all APC members, and the party shall not be destroyed. I want to assure you, there is nothing like imposition; we have a lot of things we are sorting out now.”
In a similar vein, the APC chairman in Ojokoro, Jelili Oseni, reassured the protesters, saying, “Ojokoro will not turn into violence. Those who have worked for the party will be rewarded. There is no imposition here.”
The protest took place while party leaders and stakeholders were in a meeting at the council secretariat.
