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Traditional rulers and religious leaders in Agege, Lagos State, have intervened in the crisis rocking the All Progressives Congress (APC), appealing to former Agege Local Government chairman, High Chief Ganiyu Egunjobi, and Azeez Yusuf to sheath their swords and embrace reconciliation ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The intervention followed the duo’s defection from the APC to the Allied Peoples Movement (APM) amid grievances over the party’s recent primary election.
The stakeholders made the appeal on Sunday at a meeting attended by traditional rulers, Christian and Muslim leaders and representatives of the Arewa community.
The Alaige of Orile-Agege, Oba Ambaliu Agbeleyi, said he was prompted to convene the meeting by reports of possible violence during the elections.
“We want peace and progress in our community. When I heard that there will be bloodshed in the coming election, I cannot fold my arms and watch without doing anything,” he said.
Agbeleyi urged Egunjobi and Yusuf to reconsider their defection and return to the APC, while the Olu of Agege, Oba Oyedeji Kamila Ishiba, urged politicians and their supporters to avoid confrontation.
“We don’t want fighting or rancour in our communities. Promotion is of God. We don’t pray for commotion in our communities. We want you to work on achieving peace and stability,” Ishiba said.
The Chief Imam of Dopemu, Alhaji Sulaiman, urged APC leaders to intervene in the dispute and call their members to order, stressing that political positions were temporary.
“I am for the community. I stand for peaceful coexistence in Agege constituency,” he said.
The CAN coordinator in Agege, Pastor Bayo Jesuniyi, said the political process should not be turned into confrontation.
“We are not going to war. We are going to vote on January 16 to further development. Let us align with the wishes of our leaders and avoid conflict,” he said.
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Responding, Egunjobi, who is the APM candidate for the Lagos State House of Assembly, said he was unaware of the meeting until he was invited by one of the clerics.
He called on the APC leadership to pursue reconciliation, claiming that he won the party’s primary before the leadership settled for another candidate.
“When you know that a candidate would be selected, you won’t tell us to go to the field. If I am deprived of my victory, the party should deem it fit to invite us to a meeting,” he said.
Egunjobi alleged that the APC leadership had not reached out to him since the disputed primary. He said he and his supporters had considered going to court but were prevailed upon by the Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Rt Hon Mudashiru Obasa, not to do so.
He said the state APC leadership, led by Hon Cornelius Ojelabi, should have intervened earlier.
“Before the issue degenerated into this, the leadership of the party in the state led by Hon Cornelius Ojelabi did not deem it fit to intervene by inviting us to a reconciliatory meeting. They didn’t reach out to us. Not even Mr Speaker. Let us fear God,” he said.
Egunjobi also cited Ojelabi’s political experience, claiming the APC chairman left the Alliance for Democracy (AD) for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in 1999 after he was not returned as chairman of Ojo Local Government.
“In 1999, when he wasn’t returned, he left the AD for the PDP. Then President Bola Tinubu was governor of Lagos State,” he said.
Despite his grievances, Egunjobi commended the organisers of the meeting and assured residents that the dispute would not degenerate into violence.
“By the grace of God, there won’t be war in the community. I can only speak for myself; I assure you there won’t be war,” he said.
