Reported by Ariajegbe Sylvia Esezobor
The Lagos State chapter of the All Progressives Congress has expelled two of its prominent Agege politicians, former Agege Local Government Chairman Ganiyu Kolawole Egunjobi and former Agege Constituency II aspirant Azeez Oladapo Yusuf, over what it described as anti-party activities and disloyalty following their defection to the Allied Peoples Movement ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The expulsion was announced on Wednesday by the Lagos APC Chairman, Pastor Cornelius Ojelabi, in a statement that left no room for ambiguity about the party’s position. Ojelabi said the two former members had contested the party’s 2026 House of Assembly nomination process for Agege Constituencies I and II respectively but failed to secure the party’s tickets. Rather than respect the outcome of the internal democratic process and remain loyal to the platform on which they sought election, the two subsequently obtained tickets from the APM, a development the party said amounted to a clear repudiation of the obligations of party membership and an unacceptable act of anti-party activity and disloyalty.
The expulsion follows a series of events that began with the APC’s primary elections for the Agege constituencies. Egunjobi, a former local government chairman, contested for the Agege Constituency I ticket, while Yusuf, popularly known as Ninolowo, sought the Agege Constituency II ticket. When the party announced its candidates for both constituencies, both men were declared losers. Displeased with the outcome, Egunjobi and Yusuf insisted they had won the primaries and were denied the tickets despite what they described as grave injustice in the party’s handling of the nomination process. They subsequently resigned from the APC and emerged as APM candidates for the two constituencies on Thursday, September 17, 2026, just days after the APC released its own candidate list.
The APC’s response was swift and unequivocal. Ojelabi said the party viewed their purported resignations from the APC as nothing more than a belated and face-saving attempt to pre-empt the consequences of their actions. He stressed that membership of the APC cannot be treated as a convenient political garment to be worn during a primary and discarded immediately after an unsuccessful outcome. The APC, he said, is a political organisation governed by rules, regulations and constitutional obligations, and while members are free to aspire to elective office, such aspirations must be pursued within the framework of the party’s constitution and applicable electoral laws. A member who loses an internal contest is expected to accept the outcome or pursue legitimate avenues of redress provided by the party and the law, not to undermine the party by seeking an alternative platform within the same electoral cycle, Ojelabi said.
The party invoked Article 9(5)(II) of the APC Constitution, as amended in 2022, in taking disciplinary action against the two former members. Ojelabi said the Lagos APC therefore wished to make it abundantly clear that Chief Ganiyu Kolawole Egunjobi and Mr Azeez Yusuf are no longer members of the APC. Consequently, neither individual has the authority to speak for, represent, negotiate on behalf of, or otherwise transact any business with any person, organisation or institution in the name of the Lagos State APC or the All Progressives Congress, he said. The party urged its members, supporters, stakeholders and the general public to take note of their changed status and refrain from dealing with either of them as representatives or authorised agents of the party.
The expulsion has exposed the internal tensions that have been simmering within the Lagos APC since the conclusion of its primaries. The two expelled politicians are widely regarded as allies of the Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Mudashiru Obasa, a powerful figure in the state’s political landscape. Reports in the aftermath of their defection suggested that Obasa may have played a role in their decision to leave the party, but both men issued a joint statement denying any involvement by the Speaker. They insisted their decision to join the APM was made independently after what they described as grave injustice arising from the disputed primaries, and they said they had made internal efforts within the APC by submitting petitions and seeking redress but were disappointed that the leadership did not invite them for reconciliation or provide a satisfactory resolution to their complaints.
The defection and subsequent expulsion have also triggered reactions from within Agege, where APC stakeholders have moved quickly to project confidence and dismiss any suggestion that the loss of two prominent politicians will weaken the party’s electoral prospects. A former member of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Hon. Oluyinka Ogundimu, who spoke on behalf of Agege progressive leaders, said the defection of Egunjobi and Yusuf would never have any negative impact on the party. The stakeholders pledged to mobilise support across the constituency to secure victory for APC candidates, including President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Deputy Governor Dr Kadir Obafemi Hamzat, Senator Idiat Oluranti Adebule and Speaker Mudashiru Ajayi Obasa. They also reaffirmed support for the party’s House of Assembly candidates in Agege, Oluwagbenga Micheal Abiola for Constituency I and Shakiru Enimakure for Constituency II. The stakeholders said the defection did not come as a surprise, as reports of their intention to leave the party had circulated within the locality, and they called for an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the defection with a view to taking appropriate disciplinary action.
The expulsion carries broader implications for the 2027 electoral cycle in Lagos State, where the APC has historically dominated. The party’s emphasis on compliance with the Electoral Act 2026 and the regulations of the Independent National Electoral Commission reflects a recognition that internal party discipline is not merely a matter of organisational preference but a legal and electoral necessity. The APC said it would continue to take all necessary steps to preserve the discipline, cohesion and credibility of the party as it prepares for the forthcoming elections. The right to contest an election does not confer the right to sabotage the party after losing its nomination process, Ojelabi said. The APC is a party of rules. Its tickets are contested, its decisions are respected, and its integrity will be protected.
For Egunjobi and Yusuf, the expulsion formalises a break that had already been made. They will contest the 2027 House of Assembly elections on the platform of the APM, carrying with them their political networks, their name recognition and their grievances against the APC. For the Lagos APC, the challenge is to demonstrate that the departure of two well-known figures from Agege does not translate into electoral vulnerability. The party’s Agege stakeholders have pledged to deliver all APC candidates in the next elections, but the coming months will test whether that confidence is matched by the reality on the ground. In a state where political loyalty is fiercely contested and electoral margins can be narrow, the loss of two experienced politicians to a rival platform is not a development the APC can afford to ignore.
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