The Lagos State chapter of the All Progressives Congress has expelled former Agege Local Government Chairman Chief Ganiyu Kola Egunjobi and Agege Constituency II politician Barrister Azeez Oladapo Yusuf, popularly known as Ninolowo, igniting fresh debate over whether the party prioritised discipline over dialogue.
Announced on September 23 by State Chairman Pastor Cornelius Ojelabi, the decision cites Article 9(5)(II) of the APC’s 2022 amended constitution. The party accused the two of anti-party activity and disloyalty after they sought tickets on another platform following the APC House of Assembly primaries.
The expulsions stem from a bitter dispute over the May primaries in Agege Constituencies I and II. Contemporary reports initially declared Egunjobi the winner with 12,455 votes and Ninolowo with 8,299 votes. Subsequent changes to the APC candidate list altered the outcome and sparked lasting grievances.
Supporters of the two politicians argue the party failed to exhaust reconciliation options before the relationship collapsed. They maintain that if prominent figures who contested the internal process raised legitimate complaints, a mediation meeting should have been convened long before defection and expulsion became inevitable.
Egunjobi and Ninolowo have said they left the APC independently after what they described as “grave injustice” and the leadership’s failure to offer meaningful redress. Both later secured All Progressives Movement (APM) tickets — Egunjobi for Agege Constituency I and Ninolowo for Constituency II — transforming an internal nomination row into a broader electoral contest.
They have also rejected claims that their move was orchestrated by Lagos Assembly Speaker Mudashiru Obasa, insisting the decision was theirs alone and flowed directly from their experiences within the APC.
APC stakeholders counter that members who lose nomination contests must accept the result or pursue internal and legal remedies rather than challenge the party on a rival platform. They insist the expulsions uphold party discipline and will not weaken the APC’s structure in Agege, pledging full mobilisation for the party’s candidates across the ballot.
The contest has taken on an unusual character. Some residents and political actors sympathetic to Ninolowo suggest voters can support President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, governorship candidate Dr. Kadri Obafemi Hamzat, Senator Idiat Adebule and Hon. Mudashiru Ajayi Obasa at other levels while backing Ninolowo on the APM platform for the State Assembly. APC figures dismiss this as wishful thinking and insist loyalty must extend across the ballot.
As the 2027 elections approach, Agege Constituency II will pit Ninolowo (APM) against Enimakure Akindele Sakiru (APC). The central question remains whether the unresolved primary controversy will still influence voters or whether the APC can close ranks and move past it.
The expulsion has not settled the Agege dispute. It has merely added another chapter. The final judgement will rest with the electorate at the ballot box.