The All Progressives Congress (APC) has suspended its primary election for Badagry Constituencies I and II in the Lagos State House of Assembly following delays involving electoral materials and party officials assigned to conduct the exercise.
The development was confirmed on Wednesday by the APC Chairman in Badagry Local Government Area, Mr. Gafar Meyon, during an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).
According to Meyon, party members, aspirants and supporters had waited for several hours for the arrival of electoral officials and voting materials, but the officials failed to appear at the designated locations.
He explained that after efforts to resolve the situation proved unsuccessful, the Lagos State APC Chairman, Pastor Cornelius Ojelabi, directed that the primary election be suspended until a later date.
“During Saturday’s primary, there were complaints that some election officials were friends of one of the aspirants,” Meyon said.
“Then it was suggested that they should change them against today’s primary.”
He further disclosed that the party decided to redeploy some officials originally assigned to Badagry to Surulere, while officials from Surulere were expected to supervise the Badagry primaries instead.
“So, those staff were sent to Suru-lere to conduct the election while those in Suru-lere were expected to come and conduct primary in Badagry,” he explained.
However, according to him, the expected officials never arrived despite the prolonged wait by party members and stakeholders.
“After waiting for several hours, we contacted the Lagos APC Chairman to brief him on the situation. He then ordered that the election be suspended until a later date,” Meyon added.
The APC chairman said the party had already informed all aspirants involved in the contest and instructed them to advise their supporters to vacate the wards peacefully pending further directives from the party leadership.
“We have informed the aspirants to tell their supporters to leave all the wards till further notice,” he stated.
The suspension adds to growing tensions and controversies surrounding some APC primary elections across Lagos State ahead of the 2027 general elections.
In recent days, several constituencies within the state have witnessed complaints from aspirants and party supporters over allegations of irregularities, intimidation, delayed accreditation and disputes involving electoral officials.
Political observers believe the delay and eventual suspension of the Badagry primaries may further intensify internal political negotiations and consultations within the party as stakeholders await a new date for the exercise.
What you should know
The APC primaries across Lagos State have recently witnessed multiple controversies, including complaints of irregularities, intimidation and disputes over electoral officials.
In some constituencies, aspirants and supporters have openly protested against the conduct of the exercises. The suspension of the Badagry Assembly primaries followed concerns that some officials assigned to supervise the election were allegedly linked to one of the aspirants.
The party later attempted to reshuffle officials between Surulere and Badagry, but logistical delays reportedly disrupted the process.
Political analysts believe such internal disputes could influence party unity and negotiations ahead of the 2027 Lagos State House of Assembly elections.
