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GAC in turmoil as faction moves to sack Lagos APC chairman

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Some members of the Governance Advisory Council of the Lagos State chapter of the All Progressives Congress were on Monday divided over the call for the sacking of the party’s chairman, Pastor Cornelius Ojelabi.

The GAC is the highest decision-making organ of the APC in Lagos State.

The development followed a protest by some aggrieved party members who stormed the state House of Assembly to call for the sacking of Ojelabi and other party chieftains over what they described as “imposition of candidates” and “anti-grassroots leadership.”

The party chairman, however, faulted the call, describing the accusations as baseless.

The protesters from different local councils in the state held placards with inscriptions such as “Ojelabi Must Go,” “Faleke is a Betrayal,” and “Ojelabi, Mr Voter’s Apathy.”

They called for inclusion, fairness, and an end to what they described as top-down manipulation of local politics.

One of the protest leaders, Ogumba Adetunbosun from Ikorodu, said the protest was borne out of deep dissatisfaction with the way local government elections were conducted and how supervisory positions were being imposed without input from the grassroots.

“We’re concerned politicians from all 57 local councils. What brought us here is the injustice we witnessed in the just-concluded local government elections.

“Chairmen and vice-chairmen have emerged, but when it came to appointing supervisors and secretaries to local governments, we were sidelined. There was no consultation, no dialogue, and that’s not democracy,” Adetunbosun said.

Another protester, Mrs Bola Balogun from Agbado Oke-Odo LCDA, accused top APC leaders of stifling local democracy.

“Governor Sanwo-Olu said we shouldn’t appoint supervisors for (two) months. Why? They want to impose on us.

“We voted for Mr Governor and President Tinubu, not for them to impose appointees on us. Ojelabi and Fanleke are choking the Lagos APC. They’re not listening to the grassroots, and they’re killing the spirit of democracy,” she said.

Speaking on Monday in an interview, a member of GAC, Chief Muraina Taiwo, backed the call for the chairman’s sacking, saying Ojelabi was only loyal to a faction of the party in the state, known as the ‘Justice Forum,’ sidelining the ‘Mandate’ and other factions.

Muraina said he was not initially aware of the protest, but noted that “what I know is that party stalwarts are not happy with the party chairman, most especially. The opinion is that they believe he is a Justice Forum member, and he is not trying to balance things. It is obvious in his dealings that he belongs to a faction.

“Imagine that in Oshodi, I was the one who brought the party there since the days of Lateef Jakande. The party chairman knows my ward. Because he knows my child was in the race, they went to write in my ward that they want a female, and my child had paid for the form. He was aspiring for the position of a councillor. He wanted me to go and lobby stakeholders in the Justice Forum, who are his leaders. I’m not totally for him as chairman, but I’m not a part of this protest. However, his dealings are what is only playing out.”

On the appointment of LG supervisors, the GAC member said it was normal for the governor and party leaders to approve their appointments. “That is how it’s supposed to be. It has been like that for a long time since Jakande’s days.”

Speaking further on alleged sidelining, he said, “Out of all the 57 local governments. Check, the whole council, all Justice Forum’s members, through the state chairman’s directive, took all the slots for councillors. If they don’t change before the 2027 elections, things will be worse.

“He does not have experience. It was with a fight that we took 20 slots for the chairman from them. So if they want us to win the 2027 elections, they should remove that chairman.”

Another GAC member who did not want to be quoted said he was not aware of the call for the chairman’s removal at the GAC level.

“Such a thing was not discussed at any GAC meeting that somebody should be removed. That is not to say that those people making those demands are frivolous; it’s not to say that.

“I’m only responding to your question about whether GAC knows about it. But then we cannot throw away whatever they have said as long as they are members of the APC.

“Firstly, you are just telling me about the protest. I’m hearing it for the first time. There was no meeting where it (chairman’s removal) was discussed. But we will look at the situation as presented. We will look at it and we will deal with it accordingly.

“You can’t hear from one side and conclude; it is the duty of GAC members to make sure that there is peace within the party,” the source said.

The chairman of GAC, Chief Tajudeen Olusi, could not be reached for comments on Monday, as an aide who picked up his call said the elder statesman was not available at the moment.

Chairman kicks

Ojelabi, however, described the claims by the aggrieved members as baseless and lacking substance.

In an interview with our correspondent on Monday, Ojelabi said he was not bothered by the protest, noting that things would no longer be “business as usual” in the party.

He faulted claims that his leadership was not beneficial to the aggrieved members.

“It’s not beneficial to them and we went to elections and won 375 councillors out of 376? We won 57 council chairmen, and it’s not beneficial to them?

“These are people who do not have substance as to what they are doing. It’s not going to be business as usual. We owe it a responsibility to the people of Lagos State to deliver the dividends of democracy.

“They expect that just as the council chairmen were sworn in yesterday (on Sunday), the issue of appointment of supervisors and other things should just follow immediately, and the governor made a pronouncement: ‘Allow these people to settle down. Let them understand the rudiments of governance. Give them the first 30 days to understand what they are inheriting. As you inherit assets, you equally inherit liability.’

“Is it at the state level that we’re going to appoint supervisors and SAs? No. We want the involvement of the leadership of each local government.”

He said the aggrieved members are people who did not have a grassroots base but believe that an imposition is ongoing.

“Did we impose councillors on them? They all emerged from their respective areas. Those who did not fit into the democratic process are the ones fighting back, but I’m not bothered. To the best of my knowledge, we have conducted the best local government election.”

On uniting the aggrieved party members, he said, “It’s a matter of time. By the time the leadership recommends who will be supervisors from their respective local governments, that is what we’re going to adopt. You can’t satisfy human beings.

“The leadership of each local government from the 20 LGAs and 37 LCDAs will recommend them based on the contribution of individuals. That is the mechanism. If you work assiduously for our success, let such people be rewarded. Not ‘because I know Ojelabi, he should appoint me as supervisor.’ No, I can’t be everywhere.

“Whatever they recommend is what we are going to approve. So they are just putting the cart before the horse. The process of appointing supervisors will not come up until the next 30 to 45 days. So that’s it, I’m not bothered. It’s an in-house issue and we will resolve it,” the chairman added.

In a Monday statement, the APC spokesperson in the state, Seye Oladejo, said the party acknowledged and respected the rights of party stakeholders and members to express grievances democratically. “Peaceful protests are a legitimate feature of civic engagement, and we commend those who have conducted themselves calmly and orderly,” he stated.

He, however, said that the selection of cabinet members for the 20 LGs and 37 LCDAs would follow the laid-down rules and the internal party guidelines and the proposition by local leadership of the party after due consultations.

He said, “Please note that the party at the state level only plays an advisory role. The party hereby vehemently denies any allegation to impose nomination on any local government.

“We want to advise interested members to approach their local leadership, who are the custodians of the power to nominate.

“We remain committed to constructive dialogue to review concerns and disputes to ensure fair outcomes in line with party values.

“We appeal for constructive participation and plead with the protesters to channel their concerns through official party organs.”

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Over 6.2 million Nigerians complete online voter pre-registration – INEC

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More than 6.2 million Nigerians completed their online pre-registration for the Continuous Voter Registration during week six of the exercise, according to data released by the Independent National Electoral Commission on Monday.

The figures, published on INEC’s official X handle and website, showed that a total of 6,232,673 pre-registrants were recorded between September 22 and 28, 2025.

Of this number, 3,250,338 were female, representing 52.15 percent, while 2,982,335 were male, accounting for 47.85 percent . Youths aged 18 to 34 continued to dominate the process, with 4,230,715 registering within the period. Students made up a significant portion with 1,565,824 entries, while persons with disabilities totaled 137,865.

INEC also reported that 1,004,132 Nigerians completed both online and physical registrations in Week five, covering the period from September 22 to 26, 2025.

This figure includes 537,743 who finalized their registration online and 466,389 who completed the process physically.

Demographic data for the completed registrations in week five showed that 555,077 were female (55.28 percent) and 449,055 were male (44.72 percent). Youths made up 742,379 of the total, while students were 354,406. The number of registered PWDs during the week stood at 13,987.

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Osun PDP, APC clash as FG releases LG allocations

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The Osun State chapter of the All Progressives Congress, on Sunday, confirmed that the Federal Government had released the withheld six-month allocations for the state’s local government areas.

The APC, however, denied that the funds were paid into the private accounts of council chairmen elected on the platform of the APC in October 2022.

It said the funds were paid “into the local government councils’ accounts.”

However, the ruling PDP, which said it was not aware of the payment, demanded that the APC disclose the details of the accounts the funds were paid into.

The PDP wondered how the Federal Government would release the funds into bank accounts unknown to the state’s accountant general, auditor-general for local governments and the ministry of local governments.

The clash between the two parties comes after the National Union of Local Government Employees accused the Federal Government of illegally releasing the withheld six-month allocation to the APC.

Speaking on behalf of the union on Sunday, NULGE Chairman, Dr Nathaniel Ogungbangbe,  said the union had confirmed that the Federal Government paid the March–August 2025 allocations into accounts illegally opened by the APC chairmen and councillors despite pending court cases.

He specifically accused the Minister of Finance, Wale Edun; the Accountant-General of the Federation, Babatunde Ogunjimi; and the Attorney-General of the Federation, Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), of abusing their offices by facilitating the release.

“Today, we have it on good authority that these three principal officers of the Federal Government have released the Osun State Local Government Councils’ allocations for the month of March 2025 to August 2025 to the illegal bank accounts opened by court-sacked APC chairmen and councillors,” Ogungbangbe said.

“We find this development very scary and alarming.

Paying Local Government allocations into privately opened and illegal bank accounts of politicians is unbelievable, bizarre and unprecedented in the history of public administration in Nigeria.”

Ogungbangbe recalled that a Federal High Court had on May 15, 2025, ordered parties to maintain the status quo, an order he said was acknowledged by the Central Bank of Nigeria, which initially withheld payment.

“The Attorney-General cannot assume the role of the Supreme Court by setting aside the judgment of the Court of Appeal, which affirmed the sacking of the APC politicians by the Federal High Court. The Attorney-General is not above the law,” he declared.

He also accused the APC of trying to destabilise the state.

“Their ultimate goal is to cause anarchy and use it to call on the President to declare a State of Emergency in the state so that they could loot our resources,” he alleged, adding that council workers would not return to duty posts until the issue was resolved.

But the Osun APC dismissed the allegations, describing them as lies designed to favour the ruling Peoples Democratic Party.

In a statement signed by its spokesperson, Kola Olabisi, the APC said: “It is not true that the said federal allocations are paid into the account of any of our local government council chairmen or any of the APC members or chieftain but into the local government councils’ accounts.”

Olabisi further argued that NULGE had no authority to interpret court rulings.

“We want to, as a party which believes in the rule of law, make it abundantly clear that it is not the duty of the NULGE to interpret any court judgment. The Court of Appeal judgement of the 10th of February, 2025, which reinstated the APC local government council chairmen and their councillors, is still in force as there is no record anywhere that it was appealed against.”

He accused the NULGE leadership of pursuing selfish interests and acting as an appendage of Governor Ademola Adeleke.

“The NULGE needs not weave up a series of lies in respect of the payment of the federal allocations… The sing-song of the NULGE before now was that some agencies of the Federal Government were withholding the accumulated federal allocations. Now that the logjam has been laid to rest, what would be their next excuse?” he asked.

The party also urged security agencies to remain on alert.

“We plead with the NULGE to shun brigandage, as Osun, being a subset of the country, is being governed by the rule of law,” the statement read.

Reacting to the revelation and the admission by the APC, Osun PDP called on the APC to disclose the accounts into which the allocations were paid and the signatories of the accounts.

In a statement on Sunday by its Chairman,  Sunday Bisi, the PDP described the release of funds to the APC as a crime against the people of Osun State.

The PDP said rather than attacking NULGE, the APC should “come clean before the people of Osun State by publicly disclosing the exact bank accounts into which the local government allocations were paid and the signatories to those accounts. The APC should also disclose the amount in each of the accounts.”

The PDP said, “We demand these details because all the statutory officers of all the 30 local governments who should be aware of the payment are not aware of it. These officers manage all the accounts of the local governments. They have not seen a dime in any of their local government accounts. Also, none of the state accountant general, the auditor-general for local governments and the ministry of local governments is aware of the payments or where they were paid into.

“The Osun PDP wishes to remind the APC that hurling insults at labour unions cannot change the reality that the people of Osun are demanding answers. The questions are simple: into which accounts were the allocations paid, and who are the signatories?”

The PDP said the APC must urgently provide answers, “or we will conclude that the APC and its leaders have staged the greatest heist in the history of Nigeria by diverting over six months of allocations of all local governments in Osun State.”

“The PDP assures the people of Osun State that under Governor Ademola Adeleke, transparency and accountability will continue to be the guiding principles in the management of public funds. No amount of intimidation or blackmail by the APC will derail this resolve,” Bisi added.

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Adamawa ADC gives Atiku ultimatum to pick membership card

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The African Democratic Congress has issued an ultimatum to former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Babachir Lawal, and other prominent figures in the party to register at their respective wards before the end of the year or risk losing recognition as members.

Speaking exclusively to The PUNCH in Yola, the Adamawa State Chairman of the ADC, Shehu Yohanna, said the party had unveiled its membership register, stressing that only those with valid membership cards would be acknowledged.

“Atiku Abubakar should go to his ward in Jada Local Government and register, Babachir should go to his ward in Hong Local Government and register. That is the only way they can be treated as legitimate members of the party,” Yohanna said.

“You cannot be taking decisions for a party you are not constitutionally a member of. All of you should register for the greatness of our party.

“It is illegal for someone to hold a leadership position in the party at the national level without being a registered member. That makes a caricature of the party,” he declared.

Last Thursday, the National Publicity Secretary of the ADC, Bolaji Abdullahi, reaffirmed the caucus’ resolution that all coalition members resign from their current parties and register fully with the ADC—a directive dismissed as inconsequential by both the APC and PDP.

Atiku’s much-publicised membership registration, initially scheduled for August in his hometown of Jada, was suspended indefinitely last month without explanation.

The PUNCH gathered that the former Vice President is weighing his chances of clinching the ADC’s presidential ticket, particularly in light of the growing influence of Peter Obi’s political movement within the party.

Yohanna dismissed the ruling All Progressives Congress and the opposition Peoples Democratic Party as incapable of defeating the ADC in the 2027 general elections.

He added that the ADC boasts politically influential figures and is prepared to wrest power from the APC administration.

“The unfriendly policies of the present government have paved the way for our party to take over and reposition the country for authentic democracy,” he said.

On the reported crisis in the party’s Adamawa chapter, Yohanna maintained that he remained the legitimate chairman.

“My tenure expires in 2026 based on the constitution of the party, so nobody can remove me from office. The ADC is not the estate of anyone; it is a political party registered by former President Olusegun Obasanjo,” he said.

He further claimed that the credentials of ADC governorship aspirants are among the best in Adamawa and indeed across Nigeria.

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