A fresh political crisis is brewing in Agege, Lagos State, following a bitter dispute over the All Progressives Congress (APC) legislative primaries that has resulted in the defection of two prominent politicians to the Allied Peoples Movement (APM) ahead of the 2027 Lagos State House of Assembly elections.
At the centre of the controversy are Hon. Ganiyu Kola Egunjobi, immediate past Chairman of Agege Local Government, and Azeez Oladapo Yusuf, popularly known as Ninolowo. Both men were initially believed to have secured the APC tickets to contest the Agege Constituency I and Constituency II seats respectively.
How the Crisis Started
The immediate trigger was an internal review of the APC primaries by the Lagos State party leadership. Following the review, the party withdrew the tickets previously associated with Egunjobi and Yusuf.
The APC subsequently gave the Agege Constituency I ticket to Oluwagbenga Abiola, who served as Egunjobi's Vice-Chairman, while Enimakure Akindele Sakiru emerged as the party's candidate for Agege Constituency II.
Egunjobi and Yusuf reportedly felt aggrieved by the decision, describing it as an injustice and complaining that there had been no meaningful internal reconciliation to resolve their grievances.
Rather than remain within the APC, the two politicians defected to the APM, where they secured substitution tickets to contest the same Agege Assembly constituencies in 2027.
The Obasa Factor
The development immediately generated political speculation because Egunjobi and Yusuf are regarded as political allies of the Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Mudashiru Obasa.
Their defection therefore sparked suggestions in some quarters that the move could be part of a wider political confrontation within the Lagos APC.
However, Egunjobi and Yusuf have publicly rejected that interpretation. In their joint response, they maintained that they took the decision independently and specifically denied that Obasa had any involvement in their decision to leave the APC.
The allegation and the denial have consequently become another major dimension of the unfolding Agege political dispute.
APC Responds With Expulsion
The crisis escalated on September 23, 2026, when the Lagos State APC announced the expulsion of Egunjobi and Yusuf from the party over what it described as anti-party activities.
The expulsion came after their decision to contest the 2027 Assembly elections under the APM platform rather than the APC.
Meanwhile, the dispute appears to be extending beyond the two former APC members. Agege APC stakeholders have reportedly petitioned the Lagos State party leadership, expressing concern over allegations that some sitting councillors, supervisors and political appointees are allegedly supporting or working for the APM.
The stakeholders are calling for action against members whom they believe are involved, arguing that divided loyalties could weaken the party's structure ahead of the 2027 elections.
A Test for the APC in Agege
While some APC chieftains have maintained that the defections will not significantly affect the party's electoral prospects, the development has nevertheless exposed underlying disagreements over candidate selection, internal party democracy and political loyalty in one of Lagos State's politically significant areas.
For now, the Agege contest has evolved beyond a simple battle between individual aspirants. It has become a broader test of how the APC manages internal disputes, handles aggrieved aspirants and maintains cohesion as the 2027 elections approach.