The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Lagos State has concluded a comprehensive screening process, approving 432 aspirants to contest in its upcoming chairmanship primaries scheduled for May 10, 2025, ahead of the local government elections set for July 12.
The screening, which spanned five days from April 29 to May 3 at the party’s secretariat in Ogba, saw 470 hopefuls undergo scrutiny. Of these, 38 aspirants were either disqualified due to documentation issues or withdrew voluntarily from the race.
Prominent among those who withdrew was Abdul-Ganiyu Obasa, son of the Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, reportedly following consultations involving President Bola Tinubu, the APC’s national leader.
Key disqualifying factors included absence of Permanent Voter Cards, invalid or missing APC membership documents, and inconsistencies in academic credentials, particularly at the secondary education level.
The screening exercise was led by a former National Legal Adviser of the party, Hon. Babatunde Ogala, who was supported by Mr. Babarinde Nurudeen as secretary. The committee is also responsible for managing the internal electoral process across Lagos’ 20 Local Government Areas and 37 LCDAs.
In line with the party’s guidelines, the primary elections will be conducted via an indirect system, involving delegates drawn from the executive structure of each council area. Aspirants who were disqualified have until May 5 to appeal, while complaints related to the primaries can be lodged from May 12 to 13.
Ogala characterized the screening process as “intense and methodical,” adding that those cleared represent the party’s confidence in delivering quality governance at the grassroots level.
Out of the total screened aspirants, 59 were women, a figure the APC leadership described as a positive indication of increasing female participation in local political leadership.