Lagos APC bloc backs Alakija amid primary election row

June 16, 2026 3:59 am

The Dele Ogunsakin-led Mandate Movement bloc of the All Progressives Congress in Oshodi-Isolo Constituency I has backed the Lagos State chapter’s announcement of Mayowa Alakija as the party’s candidate for the state House of Assembly in the 2027 general election.

The group also dismissed claims that the primary election that produced Alakija was marred by irregularities, insisting that the exercise was free, fair and conducted in line with party guidelines.

Controversy has continued to trail the “List of Successful Candidates for the State House of Assembly for the 2027 General Election” published by the Lagos APC in The Nation newspaper of May 25, 2026, and signed by the state chairman, Cornelius Ojelabi.

In the publication, Muyiwa Alakija was listed as the candidate for Oshodi-Isolo Constituency I, while Ajomale Olayinka was listed for Oshodi-Isolo Constituency II, alongside other successful candidates across the state.

Following the publication, APC members from several local government areas, including Oshodi-Isolo, Agege, Badagry, Mushin, Amuwo-Odofin, Eti-Osa, Somolu, Ojokoro and Ajeromi, staged protests at the party’s state secretariat over alleged irregularities in the primaries.

In Oshodi-Isolo Constituency I, the incumbent lawmaker, Stephen Ogundipe, who is seeking a second term, had challenged the emergence of Alakija as the party’s candidate for the 2027 election.

Addressing journalists at Mafoluku, Oshodi, Lagos, on Monday, Ogunsakin said Alakija won the direct primary election conducted across the constituency.

According to him, Alakija polled 10,514 votes, while Ogundipe secured 1,737 votes.

“Mayowa Alakija won by a wide and unambiguous margin across all five wards of Oshodi-Isolo Constituency I.

“The election was keenly contested in every ward. It was not a walkover. It was not a manipulation. It was a democratic verdict delivered by card-carrying APC members of the constituency with clarity and conviction,” he said.

Ogunsakin said the presence of ward chairmen at the briefing further validated the exercise’s outcome.

“Today, as we address this press conference, all five APC ward chairmen of Oshodi-Isolo Constituency I are physically present in this room. Each of them personally witnessed the conduct of the primary election in their respective wards because the state leadership of the APC sent electoral officials to conduct the election.

“Their presence here is not ceremonial — it is evidentiary. It is the living rebuttal to every fabricated figure the defeated faction has attempted to circulate. They were there. They saw it. And they are here to affirm it under their names and their honour,” he said.

He said the primary election was conducted at APC-approved venues across the five wards, including Ajibulu Health Centre, Oshodi; Saint John Primary School, Oyetayo Street, Oshodi; Saint Paul Primary School, Makinde; Shogunle Town Hall; and Methodist Primary School, Ewu.

Ogunsakin acknowledged that the Mandate Movement in Oshodi was divided into two blocs — the “Face of Badmus” group, to which he belongs, and the “Olohunoje Mandate Group,” which supported Ogundipe.

He, however, claimed that the Face of Badmus faction enjoyed overwhelming support among party leaders and grassroots members in the constituency.

According to him, the Olohunoje Mandate Group conducted a separate exercise at Methodist Primary School in Ward D2, which he described as an unauthorised venue.

“The Olohunoje Mandate Group staged its own primary at Methodist Primary School in Ward D2, a location that was never gazetted or designated for the House of Assembly primary, in an attempt to create a parallel election and counter the legitimate outcome.

“This desperate, premeditated gambit failed. The primary election proceeded without disruption at all five accredited venues. Results from all five wards were transparently collated at the officially designated collation centre — the Legislative Hall, Council Secretariat — by APC state electoral officials in the presence of party members and INEC officials.

“Audio-visual documentation of the full collation process exists and remains available for examination by any legitimate authority that may require it,” he added.

Ogunsakin further described claims that Alakija did not win the primary as false.

“The assertion that Mayowa Alakija did not win this primary election is not a political opinion deserving of engagement. It is a fabrication — a deliberate lie produced in the minds of those who could not accept the democratic will of APC members in Oshodi-Isolo Constituency I and who have since dedicated themselves to wrecking the party from within,” he said.

He also claimed that Alakija enjoys the backing of the three local government chairmen in Oshodi-Isolo, a majority of councillors and supervisory councillors, as well as political appointees from the constituency.

“The 2026 APC primary election has been conducted. Its results are documented. Its outcome is irreversible. The APC members of Oshodi-Isolo Constituency I have spoken with unmistakable clarity.

“They have chosen Hon Mayowa Alakija to carry the party’s flag into the general election, and no volume of disinformation, no parade of phantom results and no manufactured petition will alter that democratic verdict,” he said.

Calling on Ogundipe to accept the outcome, Ogunsakin said, “Continuing to contest this outcome through falsehood serves no constructive purpose. It does not change the result. It does not advance the interests of Oshodi. And it does not serve the legacy of a man who represents a constituency.

“We call on Otunba Ogundipe to accept this outcome with grace, close this chapter with dignity, and allow the people of Oshodi-Isolo Constituency I to move forward united. Four years is not forever. The democratic door remains open — but only for those who honour democratic outcomes.”

Wale Akinselure

Olawale Franklin Akinselure is a journalist at Punch Newspapers with 12 years of experience covering education, politics, health, environment, judiciary, metro, and community beats. He specializes in producing insightful, wide-ranging reports that inform and engage readers. His reporting reflects practical newsroom experience, editorial insight, and a dedication to accurate, reliable journalism.

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