The Iyaloja-General of Nigeria, Mrs. Folashade Tinubu-Ojo, has threatened to mobilise a protest over the outcome of the recently concluded All Progressives Congress (APC) primaries in Lagos State.
Tinubu-Ojo alleged that the exercise was manipulated in favour of the Justice Forum faction within the ruling party, warning that the situation could worsen internal divisions ahead of the 2027 general elections.
She made the remarks on Wednesday during a meeting with market leaders and stakeholders held at her office in Alausa, Ikeja.
The APC chieftain specifically raised concerns over the results announced for Mushin Federal Constituency II, Agege Constituency II and Ojokoro Constituency, insisting that the declared outcomes did not reflect the true winners of the primaries.
The Lagos State chapter of the APC had earlier released the names of candidates who emerged from the House of Representatives and Lagos State House of Assembly primaries conducted ahead of the 2027 elections. The list, signed by the state APC Chairman, Cornelius Ojelabi, showed that 24 candidates secured House of Representatives tickets, while 40 candidates emerged for the State Assembly seats.
However, Tinubu-Ojo urged party leaders at both the state and national levels to review the disputed results before they are officially ratified.
According to her, failure to address the complaints could create deeper cracks within the party.
“We are ready to protest because of Seye Oladejo of Mushin Federal Constituency 02, Mutiu Olaide Oladeebo of Agege 2 constituency and Olotu Ojo of Ojokoro constituency because we know they won this election. Their mandate should not be handed over to someone else,” she stated.
Tinubu-Ojo also accused some party stakeholders of using the rivalry between the Justice Forum and Mandate Group to manipulate the political process.
She noted that the alleged division was becoming more pronounced because many politicians believed the current Deputy Governor of Lagos State, Obafemi Hamzat, who is linked to the Justice Forum, could emerge as the next governor of the state.
“We have to speak out now. APC should scrap the Justice Forum and Mandate Group divisions. We are all members of one family under APC,” she said.
“People are moving to the Justice Forum because they believe that is where the incoming governor belongs. But we are all Lagosians and members of the same party.”
She further stressed that leadership should accommodate everyone regardless of political affiliation within the party.
“Even if someone becomes governor, governance should not favour only one group. A leader must carry everybody along, including both supporters and opponents,” she added.
Tinubu-Ojo also expressed disappointment over what she described as the growing trend of politicians abandoning the Mandate Group for the Justice Forum because of perceived political advantage.
“It is painful to see people dump their group because they think another side has more influence. If the Mandate Group had won, some people would still try to manipulate the process in favour of Justice Forum members,” she said.
She maintained that loyalty and hard work in politics should be rewarded and warned that continued manipulation could discourage committed party members.
Tinubu-Ojo reaffirmed the support of market women across Lagos for the governorship ambition of Obafemi Hamzat and other APC candidates, while also calling for greater political inclusion and recognition for traders.
According to her, market women remain a strong political force in Lagos and deserve a bigger role in governance and political appointments.
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