Reported by: Ijeoma G | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
LAGOS, Nigeria – The Lagos State Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, Pastor Cornelius Ojelabi, was physically attacked by a mob of angry party members on Thursday, June 11, 2026, who accused him of selling their electoral mandates, a claim he has vehemently denied through his spokesman.
The incident happened at the APC Lagos State secretariat on Acme Road in Ogba, Lagos, amid growing outrage over the party’s recently concluded primary elections. According to various news reports and a video that has since gone viral on social media, a group of angry protesters surrounded Ojelabi and struck him several times on the face while calling him a “thief” for allegedly selling the people’s votes to the highest bidder. One protester could be seen on video holding him down while others rained blows and slaps on him, and the crowd repeatedly chanted “Ojelabi ole” (meaning “Ojelabi is a thief”), according to SaharaReporters.
However, the party issued a counter‑statement through the chairman’s media aide, insisting that the party leader was neither attacked nor present at the secretariat when the protest occurred. Ojelabi’s Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Omobola Akingbehin, said in a statement on June 9 that the videos circulating were misleading. “We wish to state categorically that the party chairman was neither molested nor harassed at any point during the incident. Furthermore, the chairman was not present at the APC secretariat at the time the event occurred,” Akingbehin wrote.
The protest was part of a larger wave of anger over the outcomes of the House of Representatives and Lagos State House of Assembly primaries. Thousands of aggrieved members had stormed the secretariat on June 9, accusing Ojelabi and other leaders of the Justice Forum political group of manipulating results and imposing candidates. Many of them carried placards with messages such as “Ojelabi, let our votes count” and “We say no to electoral fraud in Agege.” The Iyaloja‑General of Nigeria, Folashade Tinubu‑Ojo, also threatened a protest, accusing the party of skewing the process in favour of the Justice Forum.
The attack on the party chairman has deepened the crisis within the Lagos APC, which has seen internal fissures widen over the years. Ojelabi, a close ally of President Bola Tinubu, had repeatedly called for peace and urged aggrieved members to use the party’s internal appeals processes. Yet, the video evidence of the chairman being physically assaulted has fueled fresh divisions, with some members applauding the attack as a justified show of anger, while others have condemned it as a breakdown of law and order.
The Lagos State Police Command has yet to issue a statement regarding the attack, and it is not clear if any arrests have been made.
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