Lagos APC Aspirants Slam ‘Mischievous’ Attempt to Link Speaker Obasa to Protest

A coalition of aspirants within Nigeria's All Progressives Congress (APC) has strongly refuted claims linking the Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Mudashiru Obasa, to recent protests concerning the party's primaries. The group described the allegations as a "malicious and distracting attempt" to undermine the genuine grievances of party members.

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To suggest that thousands of committed APC members and supporters required sponsorship before voicing their frustrations is insulting to their intelligence and dismissive of their legitimate concerns.

In a statement released Wednesday, prominent party figures insisted the protest was a spontaneous outpouring of dissatisfaction from aspirants and their supporters across Lagos. They dismissed the suggestion that thousands of APC members needed sponsorship to voice their frustrations, calling it "insulting to their intelligence and dismissive of their legitimate concerns."

The aspirants highlighted that the protest stemmed from issues such as alleged manipulation, distorted results, cheating, and a disregard for party guidelines during the primaries. They argued these concerns are widespread and reflect the frustrations of party faithful who invested significant time and resources. The signatories accused unnamed individuals of trying to scapegoat Speaker Obasa to trivialize the complaints and divert attention from the need for justice, reconciliation, and unity within the APC.

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Rather than addressing the issues at the heart of the protest, some individuals have chosen the convenient path of scapegoating. Such futile attempts are clearly designed to shift public attention away from the need for fairness and party cohesion.

Looking towards the 2027 general elections, the aspirants called on party leaders to prioritize resolving the outstanding issues from the primaries. They emphasized that the APC's strength lies in its capacity for dialogue, fairness, and correcting internal shortcomings. "The concerns of aggrieved aspirants and their supporters deserve attention, not diversion," the statement concluded, stressing that sincere and urgent attention to these grievances would bolster confidence in the party's democratic processes and ensure a united front for the upcoming elections.

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The concerns of aggrieved aspirants and their supporters deserve attention, not diversion. Addressing these grievances sincerely and urgently will strengthen confidence in the party’s internal democratic processes and enable us to approach the forthcoming elections with a united and formidable front.