August 04, (THEWILL) — A prominent All Progressives Congress, APC, big-wig in Lagos, acclaimed for his grassroots support and organisational and mobilisation skill leading to the election of many governors in the state, Fuad Oki, has sounded the alarm bells for the governing party ahead of the 2027 general election.
After doing an assessment of the July 12, 2025, local government poll held in the state, Oki, who scored the election below par, in comparison to previous elections at the third tier, urged the party to redirect its focus, restrategise and stop alienating the grassroots membership to avoid “devastating consequences for our party in the 2027 general election.”
In a strongly worded letter to party leaders, he said the July 12 LGA poll “is a flashing red light for the All Progressives Congress. The exceptionally low voter turnout is not a minor setback; it is a profound crisis of legitimacy and trust that, if left unaddressed, will have devastating consequences for our party in the 2027 general election.
According to him, the party cannot afford to be complacent, to dismiss this as “just a local election,” or to continue with business as usual.
“The demise of former President Buhari has created a vacuum that demands a new, more nuanced approach to coalition building and demographic engagement, particularly with the critical Arewa community. The persistent mistrust of the Igbo community, despite our efforts, highlights a deeper systemic issue that must be resolved. The widespread apathy of the youth and other disenfranchised groups, fueled by a lack of internal democracy and perceived elite capture, is a ticking time bomb.
“The time for self-congratulation is over. The time for honest self-assessment, fundamental internal reform and strategic recalibration is now. We must first learn from this stark reality of voter turnout, demonstrate a genuine commitment to inclusivity and internal democracy, and rebuild trust with the electorate, before embarking on any further voter registration drives.
“The future of our party and our role in the governance of Lagos State and Nigeria hinges on our ability to heed this wake-up call and act decisively. The path to 2027 starts with acknowledging this profound electoral apathy and addressing its root causes within our own party,” he said.
Meanwhile, the party’s grassroots base was shaken to its foundation recently when members from the 20 LGA and 37 Local Council Development Areas, LCDAs, stormed the Lagos State House of Assembly complex and demanded the immediate sacking of its Chairman, Cornelius Ojelabi, and the removal of Rep. Abiodun Faleke and other leaders perceived to have manipulated the political process to feather their nests. The protesters, who identified themselves as grassroots representatives from all 57 councils, carried placards with bold messages, such as “Ojelabi Must Go”, and “We Want Fresh Leadership.”
Noting that the APC in Lagos has lost touch with its base under Ojelabi’s leadership, they alleged that internal democracy has been sidelined and party structures weakened across several local governments.
“We are here to demand accountability and a return to true party values. The chairman has failed to carry party members along. We need a leader who will listen to us and strengthen the APC ahead of 2027″, Tunde Afolayan from Mushin LCDA said.
“Grassroots politics is the soul of Lagos APC. If you remove that, you have nothing left. We need someone who can unify the party and reconnect with the people”, another protester, Mrs Bisi Olabode from Eti-Osa East LCDA, said.
Another protester, Asabi Adejuwon, expressed frustration at being used during campaigns but ignored afterwards.
“Ojelabi betrayed us. We were the ones mobilising people to vote.
“People didn’t want to vote because there’s no food, no jobs and no support from the party. Our children are not benefiting,” she said tearfully.
A visibly angry party elder from Onigbogbo LCDA, Alhaji Talibu Lawal, accused Faleke and other party leaders of single-handedly selecting local government appointees.
Lawal said, “Faleke, Ojelabi, and Alhaja Akerele should leave. They keep imposing people on us. We, the grassroots Excos, voted while the people stayed at home. They are destroying Ikeja. If this continues, they will destroy Lagos for Tinubu.”
Deputy Governor Obafemi Hamzat tried without success to calm frayed nerves. Even a member of the Governance Advisory Council, GAC, Chief Muraina Taiwo, reportedly “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,” Chief Taiwo said, adding that, “Out of all the 57 local government councils, Check all the councils, 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 general election, things will be worse.
In his reaction, Ojelabi disagreed with the protesters that his leadership of the party was undermining the party in the state. “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.”
He urged members to allow the newly sworn-in chairmen and councillors to settle down in office before the appointment of supervisors can follow seamlessly.
‘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 denied that councillors were imposed on the party, saying they all emerged through a democratic process.
The spokesperson of the party, Mr. Seye Oladejo, while reacting to the development, said the selection of cabinet members for the 20 local government councils and 37 local council development areas will follow laid-down rules and internal party guidelines and the proposition by the local leadership of the party after due consultations.
For a party that is still reeling from political undercurrents over the crisis following the impeachment and reinstatement of Speaker Mudashiru Obasa, Oki’s warning is a wake-up call.
“The 2027 general election will be a different ballgame. The political landscape is evolving and the electorate is becoming more sophisticated in its disaffection. Relying on past victories or assumptions about voter loyalty, especially in the absence of genuine engagement and internal reforms, will be a catastrophic miscalculation.” Oki said.
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