The Lagos State chapter of the All Progressives Congress on Tuesday officially presented party flags to its 57 chairmanship and 376 councillorship candidates for the July 12 local government election.
The party also launched its campaign for the council at the event held at the APC Secretariat, Ogba.
Speaking at the ceremony, Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, represented by the Secretary to the State Government, Abimbola Salu Hundeyin, assured the candidates of the government’s support to help them emerge victorious in the election.
“The love I have for this party is unquantifiable. I am with all the candidates; this is not just an official flag-off, it symbolises the beginning of hard work and dedication.
“We are solidly behind every aspirant, we are in this together, and all will be successful by God’s grace.
“As we raise these flags today, we are proud and happy. Let us remember our values and principles; we are known for being a progressive movement.
“We are not only here to win an election, we are here to change the lives of our people and continue the legacy of our President.
“We must deliver all our promises to the people. Do all you can as party faithful to ensure victory for this party,” Sanwo-Olu said.
The Chairman of the Governance Advisory Council, Prince Tajudeen Olusi, urged the party’s flag bearers to work for the people when elected.
“This is an opportunity for you to promote the name of our party. It is sad today that those looking for money are many in politics and not people who want to serve,” he said.
Olusi appealed to aggrieved party members to be patient, adding that more opportunities would still come.
“The love of our community and society should be paramount to us. Those who vied for the ticket but could not get it should be patient, because there is still time and tomorrow,” Olusi said.
He urged the youth to divide themselves into groups and move into different streets to mobilise support for the party.
Olusi said grassroots governance was critical, hence the need for officeholders at the local government level to take care of the people and make a positive impact.
The Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Mudashiru Obasa, who noted that everyone must accept the decisions of the party at all times, urged all to support party candidates.
“The party is supreme; we must stand by the decision of the party. We must obey the party and support all our candidates. We must not fight amongst ourselves.
“The election is a testing ground to return President Bola Tinubu in 2027 with a large majority,” Obasa said.
Handing over the flags to candidates alongside other leaders, the state APC Chairman, Cornelius Ojelabi, applauded party leaders and aspirants for ensuring peace before, during, and after the primary.
Ojelabi, who noted that the party had done a lot to reconcile aggrieved aspirants, urged flag bearers to continue reconciliation and win over those who contested against them.
According to him, out of the 475 aspirants who vied for chairmanship tickets, only 57 chairmanship candidates were finally selected.
He urged the candidates to strive to meet the needs of the people in education, health, infrastructure development, youth development, and other critical areas if elected.
He said the party would continue to monitor the performance of all its elected officers.
“It is a real election. We are going all out in this election. Let us reach out, knock on doors, and solicit support,” Ojelabi said.
The Chairman of the APC Campaign Committee, Babatunde Balogun, who welcomed the candidates, expressed confidence that all the flag bearers would be victorious at the polls.
Balogun, who urged the party’s campaign Local Organising Committee in each council area to start rigorous mobilisation of voters, however, cautioned that no campaign should exceed the June 9 deadline stipulated in the electoral guidelines.
“This election is local and at the grassroots, so we need to campaign vigorously at the ward level. There is no limit to the campaign. Let the LOC work tirelessly to ensure victory in the election,” he said.
According to him, the LOC should be co-chaired in each council by the APC LGA chairman and the council chairman.
“The LOC must work with various groups, including ethnic nationalities so that we can achieve great results. Let us move across all the wards and garner votes for the party.”
Meanwhile, the Youth Party candidate for Eti Osa Local Government, Ayodele Adio, has raised the alarm over what he described as “deliberate manipulation” of the electoral process by the Lagos State Independent Electoral Commission.
Adio accused LASIEC of compromising the integrity of the election by releasing a misleading polling guide barely three weeks before the election.
Adio, in a statement, said, “A polling guide is not an afterthought. It is a fundamental part of election guidelines and should have been released even before the announcement of election dates.
“What LAISEC has done is not just negligent — it’s an orchestrated attempt to derail free and fair elections.”
According to Adio, political parties had just about a week to submit names of party agents, which was unrealistic given the sudden changes in the number of polling units.
He further alleged that LAISEC had also overstepped its legal boundaries by attempting to delineate and distribute polling units, an action he said was constitutionally reserved for the Independent National Electoral Commission.
Adio also voiced his perceived lack of clarity in the naming and location of polling units.
He explained that the recently released guide listed numerous vague locations such as “Itedo land” and “Ikate land,” some of which were repeated multiple times without proper addresses or public landmarks.
“This ambiguity is a recipe for chaos and disenfranchisement on election day,” he said.