Lagos APC Receives Over 100 Petitions Challenging Local Government Chairmanship and Councillorship Primaries

Eniola Ajose 

The Lagos State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) is currently grappling with internal turmoil, as its Appeal Committee has received over 100 petitions from aggrieved aspirants following last Saturday’s controversial local government primaries.

Lagos Reporters gathered that the petitions, which include 45 from chairmanship aspirants and 59 from councillorship hopefuls, are contesting the outcomes of the primaries conducted across the 57 local government areas and local council development areas (LCDAs) in the state.

The primary elections, held at the party’s secretariat on ACME Road through indirect voting and consensus arrangements, have sparked widespread outrage. Since the announcement of results, angry party members have taken to the streets in areas such as Agege, Ikeja, and Somolu to protest what they describe as imposition of candidates by party leaders.

In response to the crisis, the party inaugurated an Appeal Committee led by Lagos State Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Lawal Pedro (SAN), to address grievances. According to APC spokesperson Oluseye Oladejo, the committee received all 104 petitions before its Tuesday noon deadline and is expected to conclude its assignment this week.

Meanwhile, civil society organisation United Action for Democracy (UAD) has weighed in on the issue, demanding an independent investigation into the conduct of the APC primaries. Addressing journalists at a press conference in Abule Egba, UAD General Secretary Kunle Ajayi condemned what he described as a “subversion of democratic norms.”

“The APC primaries are a textbook example of how local government autonomy and true democracy are being undermined. The implications go beyond Lagos and may affect the credibility of the 2027 general elections,” Ajayi warned.

As tensions rise within the ruling party, the political atmosphere ahead of the July 12 council elections remains charged.

APC shift Primaries to September 25

The Presidential Primaries of the All Progressives Congress earlier scheduled for Thursday, 20th September will now take place on Tuesday, 25th September, the party has said.

A statement signed by the National Organizing Secretary, Emma Ibediro also announced the shift in date of all other primary elections from the earlier date, with the governorship primary now scheduled to take place four day after the presidential primary on 29th September.

Similarly, the senate and House of Representatives primary will now take place on 2nd and 3rd October, while the state houses of Assembly primary will now take place on 4th October.

The National Convention of the party to affirm the party’s Presidential candidate is expected to hold on 6th October as earlier scheduled.



No explanation was offered for the shift in date of the primaries, but The Nation can report that screening of aspirants was yet to begin as at the time of this report as no committee has been inaugurated to handle the screening.

Also, the party was yet to name Committee to conduct the primaries.

It was gathered that the National Working Committee of the party was working round the clock to avoid major crisis after the conduct of party primaries.

Most states of the Federation are sharply divided over the mode of primary to adopt for the conduct of party primaries with some stakeholders pushing for direct primaries, while others are insisting on the use of direct primaries.

The Nation

APC To Adopt Direct, Indirect Primaries

The All Progressives Congress has approved the use of direct primaries at the national and indirect primaries at the state levels of party’s primaries.

This declaration was made on Thursday during the National Executive Council meeting of the party in Abuja.

The meeting had in attendance Vice President Yemi Osibanjo, Senate majority leader, Ahmed Lawan, Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha, Governors on the platform of the ruling APC, chieftains of the party and new party members like Sen Godswill Akpabio were also at the meeting.

Today, before the NEC meeting, thirty four states of the federation, including Abuja, Nigeria's Federal Capital have adopted the option of indirect primaries for the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in the forthcoming primaries to field candidates for next year's general elections.

That development was on the heels of an emergency meeting held in Abuja on Wednesday by the caucus of the party.

Part of the reasons for adopting indirect primaries as reliably gathered, was because the party was yet to authenticate the actual number of its members, and that there was not enough time to do so with the primaries just few weeks away.

It was further gathered that the only two states that have maintained their stands on Direct Primaries were Lagos and Edo States.

According to sources within the party hierarchy, states that still want to opt for direct primaries can write to the national headquarters of the party for deliberations and subsequent consideration, depending on whether they have the capacity to do so but the final decision of the NEC is that indirect and direct primaries have been adopted for state and national levels of the party’s primaries respectively.

Lagos Panorama


Below is APC Schedule for primaries as released by the party

Presidency 24th September
Senate 26th of September
House of Representatives September 27th
Governorship September 29th
House of Assembly October 2nd.
Sale of forms commenced on 1st of September.