A coalition of concerned residents from Agege and Orile-Agege areas of Lagos State staged a peaceful protest on Tuesday against what they described as undemocratic practices in the recently concluded All Progressives Congress (APC) primaries for the upcoming local government elections.

Marching under the banner of the Presidential Campaign Council (PCC), the protesters carried placards with messages such as "Justice for Agege," "Say No to Political Imposition," and "Let the Will of the People Prevail." The demonstration was sparked by allegations of manipulation in the selection process for the APC chairmanship candidate in Agege Local Government.

According to the protesters, the emergence of a chairmanship candidate allegedly backed by the Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Mudashiru Obasa, lacked transparency and did not reflect the will of grassroots party members.

Mr. Sabitu Kamorudeen, Chairman of the PCC, who addressed the gathering, condemned the May 10 primaries, claiming the results were manipulated to serve the interests of influential figures rather than representing genuine democratic participation.

"These results are not only misleading but a gross misrepresentation of the democratic will of our party members in Agege and Orile-Agege. The outcome lacked due process and was marred by exclusionary tactics and undue interference," Kamorudeen stated.

The PCC chairman further alleged that multiple aspirants were deliberately denied access to nomination forms and endorsements ahead of the primaries. He claimed that some candidates were pressured to withdraw from the race, while there had been an initial attempt to impose a candidate closely linked to Speaker Obasa—an effort he said was later reversed following internal party consultations.

"Our preferred candidate remains Bukola Sofidiya, popularly known as Gidado. The attempt to present another candidate through non-transparent means is unacceptable to us and undermines party unity," Kamorudeen emphasized.

The protesters called on the APC leadership at both state and national levels to intervene and uphold the party's core values of fairness and internal democracy.

"We appeal to the party's leadership, state chairman, National Working Committee, Board of Trustees, and other stakeholders to ensure equity and justice in the conduct of party affairs. No individual should hold undue influence over the collective will of the people," added Kamorudeen.

As of press time, attempts to obtain a response from Speaker Obasa or his representatives regarding the allegations were unsuccessful.

The protest comes amid growing tensions over the candidate selection process for the forthcoming local government elections in Lagos State, with similar complaints reported in other local government areas.