The Vice Chairman of Agege Local Government Area in Lagos State, Oluwagbenga Abiola, has withdrawn his interest to vie for the chairmanship position o
The Vice Chairman of Agege Local Government Area in Lagos State, Oluwagbenga Abiola, has withdrawn his interest to vie for the chairmanship position of the LG in the upcoming July 12, 2025 council election. Abiola said he stepped down for Abdulganiyu Obasa, son of the Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Mudashiru Obasa and also out of his loyalty to Obasa.
He denied that he was forced to step down. Abiola reaffirmed his commitment to the party and to Speaker Obasa, emphasising that his withdrawal was a voluntary and conscious choice in support of Obasa’s son. In response to rumours that he had been pressured to withdraw, Abiola made it clear that he remained deeply appreciative of Obasa’s role in his political career. He further pledged his full support for the Speaker’s leadership, stating that he would never act against the party’s direction or Obasa’s guidance. Although Abiola admitted to having aspired to the chairmanship, he made it clear that he respected the party’s collective decision.
Recall that some members of the Agege constituency protested the imposition of Obasa’s son as the sole chiarmanship aspirant for the local government elections. They argued that Obasa who is currently serving his third term as a member of the state house of assembly and his second term as the speaker of the house will be inviting crisis to the All Progressive Congress, APC if he imposes his son on them.
In an open letter, the pressure group within the APC known as Concerned Citizens of Agege stated that the people of Agege and Orile Agege can no longer keep quiet and watch as Obasa is bent on imposing his son on the party in the forthcoming local government election. The group noted that while the son has the right to run for office, he should not be imposed on the people of Agege by Obasa, reiterating that there should be free and fair primaries where the people of Agege will pick who should be their candidate. The group stated that they cannot serve Obasa for over a decade without benefitting any meaningful impact or empowerment programme from him for ten years and at the same time serve his son, whom they described as a political neophyte, on the people of Agege Local Government.
“The good people of Agege and Orile Agege are no longer silent. We have endured decades of underperformance, political manipulation, and failed promises from the father. Since his arrival in office, not a single meaningful empowerment programme has been delivered to the people. Year after year, he collects constituency allowances meant for the development and upliftment of our communities, yet we see no trace of impact, no real empowerment, and no benefit to the people who trusted him with their votes.
“We say ‘NO’ to father and son. Public office is not a family heritage. Agege is not an empire to be inherited. The people deserve capable, proven personalities, not political heirs who have never been involved in grassroots politics, never attended ward or local government meetings, and whose name is completely unknown to the political base.
“To make matters worse, the father is also trying to impose another candidate in Orile Agege. Again, we say ‘NO’. The people of Orile Agege are not blind. We see through the games and reject this recycled leadership. This is not democracy. This is a hijack of power. It is an insult to loyal party members and a betrayal of trust. This desperate political imposition is dead on arrival. Agege and Orile Agege deserve better, leaders who are qualified, present, and committed to true service. The era of being fooled is over. Let the voice of the people be louder than money, louder than manipulation, and louder than fear.”
