Lagos APC Crisis Deepens as Ajose Rejects Pressure to Step Down, Demands Open Primaries
A fresh crisis appears to be unfolding within the Lagos State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as governorship aspirant, Samuel Ajose, has rejected mounting pressure to step down for Deputy Governor Obafemi Hamzat, insisting he will remain in the race and test his popularity at the primaries.
Ajose’s defiance comes amid reports that key aspirants, including former Lagos State Governor Akinwunmi Ambode and former Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate, Olajide Adediran, popularly known as Jandor, had withdrawn from the contest in support of Hamzat following an alleged endorsement linked to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
But Ajose, who hails from Lagos West Senatorial District, specifically the Badagry division, has distanced himself from the arrangement, declaring that he would not bow to pressure from the Governance Advisory Council (GAC), the influential apex political body within the Lagos APC.
The aspirant also dismissed claims that President Tinubu had openly endorsed Hamzat, insisting he had seen no public declaration from the president to justify such claims.
Ajose accused the GAC of attempting to railroad aspirants into supporting a preferred candidate, warning that such moves could worsen internal divisions within the party and repeat the same mistakes that weakened the APC’s performance in Lagos during the last presidential election.
“I will not step down. Let the primaries hold,” Ajose declared, reaffirming his determination to contest and allow party members decide the party’s flagbearer.
Reacting to the controversy, Chairman of the Governance Advisory Council, Tajudeen Olusi, denied allegations of imposition, insisting the council had not compelled any aspirant to withdraw from the race.
Olusi maintained that the APC would conduct a credible and transparent primary election, assuring all aspirants of a level playing field and equal opportunity to contest.
The growing standoff has further exposed cracks within the Lagos APC, raising fresh concerns over internal cohesion ahead of the party’s governorship primaries, as political watchers warn that unresolved tensions could pose a serious threat to party unity.