Obasa distances self from Lagos APC primary election protests

…denies funding protests against party

The Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Mudashiru Obasa, has cautioned against attempts to use his name to sponsor protests or rallies following the outcome of the All Progressives Congress (APC) primary elections in Lagos State.

Obasa also condemned efforts to link him to the ongoing protests that have erupted in parts of the state over the conduct of the primaries, describing such allegations as unfounded and misleading.

On Tuesday, party members from several local government areas, including Badagry, Mushin, Amuwo-Odofin, Eti-Osa, Somolu, Ajeromi-Ifelodun, and Oshodi-Isolo, staged a protest at the APC State Secretariat on Acme Road, Ikeja. The protesters accused party leaders of manipulating the primary election results and demanded greater transparency in the process.

The demonstration was the latest in a series of protests that have swept across the state since the Lagos APC released a list of candidates said to have emerged victorious in the primaries.

Amid the unrest, several messages circulated on WhatsApp alleging that Obasa had committed N2 billion to fund and coordinate the protests.

Reacting to the claims, the Speaker dismissed the allegations as false and malicious, saying “It is foolhardy, malicious, misleading and baseless for anyone to assume or suggest that I would import or mobilise protesters from different local governments to the party secretariat. To achieve what exactly?. I am not a candidate in the disputed election, so why and how would I devote such an amount of money to organising protests?”.

The Speaker further described himself as a loyal and peace-loving member of the APC, stressing that he would never encourage actions capable of creating division within the party.

Obasa reaffirmed his commitment to the unity and progress of the APC and Lagos State, saying, “My steadfast commitment remains the unity, peace and progress of our great party and the people of Lagos State.”