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The political contest for Agege Constituency II in the 2027 Lagos State House of Assembly election has taken a new turn following the defection of Barrister Azeez Oladapo Yusuf, popularly known as Ninolowo or Nino Agege, from the All Progressives Congress (APC) to the Allied Peoples Movement (APM).
Yusuf, who contested the APC primary for Agege Constituency II in May, has secured the APM ticket and will now face the APC candidate, Enimakure Akindele Sakiru, in the 2027 election.
His movement to the APM followed controversy over the outcome of the APC primary and the subsequent appearance of a different name on the party’s final candidate list.
Reports from the May 20 primary initially identified Ninolowo as the winner of the Agege Constituency II contest. One report cited a figure of 12,455 votes, while other reports gave a different vote figure, underscoring the competing accounts surrounding the exercise.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) supervising officers were reported to have announced Ninolowo as the winner alongside Ganiyu Kola Egunjobi, who was declared winner of the Agege Constituency I primary.
However, the political situation changed after the APC subsequently presented other candidates for the two constituencies. Reports identified Oluwagbenga Abiola as the party’s candidate for Agege Constituency I and Enimakure Akindele Sakiru for Constituency II.
The development generated complaints from the affected aspirants and their supporters, with the dispute eventually contributing to the decision by Ninolowo and Egunjobi to leave the APC.
The two politicians subsequently emerged as APM candidates for Agege Constituencies II and I respectively. Reports said Yusuf secured the APM ticket through a substitution primary in which he emerged unopposed.
Ninolowo and Egunjobi have also rejected reports linking their defection to Lagos State House of Assembly Speaker, Mudashiru Obasa.
In a statement, the duo said their decision to leave the APC was independently taken after their experiences during the party’s primary process and their unsuccessful efforts to resolve their grievances.
They said they had recorded the highest vote figures at their respective primary venues but that the APC subsequently presented other aspirants as its candidates.
The development has added another dimension to the Agege political contest, particularly because of the prominence of the affected politicians within the constituency.
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Ninolowo had earlier built his political profile around grassroots engagement, philanthropy and community interventions before entering the Assembly race.
His supporters have described his departure from the APC as a continuation of what they regard as a mandate secured during the party’s primary but subsequently lost during the candidate-selection process. The description of the mandate as “stolen”, however, remains a claim by his supporters and is contested by the subsequent APC candidate-selection process.
Ninolowo’s political activities have also been linked to community-oriented initiatives, including scholarships, assistance to indigent residents and medical outreach programmes.
His declaration to contest for the Agege Constituency II seat earlier in 2026 was presented as an effort to translate his community activities into formal legislative representation.
The lawyer and businessman has repeatedly projected public service and community development as central to his political ambition.
With his emergence under the APM platform, however, the focus will now shift from the internal APC dispute to the wider electoral contest.
Ninolowo will have to compete against Sakiru, the candidate now carrying the APC flag in Agege Constituency II, while voters will have the opportunity to assess the candidates’ programmes, records and positions ahead of the election.
The contest is expected to place considerable emphasis on issues affecting residents of the constituency, including infrastructure, education, youth empowerment, employment, healthcare, environmental sanitation, transportation and security.
The legislative responsibilities of the eventual representative will also form part of the electoral debate, including participation in lawmaking, oversight of government activities, constituency advocacy and engagement with residents.
For Ninolowo, the APM ticket provides another route to pursue an ambition that began within the APC. His challenge is now to convert the visibility generated by the primary controversy and his grassroots activities into support beyond his previous party base.
The APC, meanwhile, will defend its position with Sakiru as its candidate for the constituency.
The defection of Ninolowo and Egunjobi has attracted attention because both had previously contested the APC Assembly primaries and were subsequently listed as APM candidates after changes to the ruling party’s candidate lineup.
Their departure has consequently turned what began as an internal party dispute into a broader electoral contest involving two political platforms.
As the 2027 election approaches, Agege Constituency II is set to witness a contest in which party affiliation, previous political experience, community engagement and competing claims surrounding the APC primary will all form part of the public debate.
For Ninolowo, the journey from APC aspirant to APM candidate marks a significant shift in his political trajectory. For the electorate, the central issue will ultimately be the competing candidates and what each offers in terms of representation and constituency development.
