The Iyaloja General of Nigeria, Folashade Tinubu-Ojo, has openly challenged the outcome of the recently concluded All Progressives Congress primaries in Lagos State, warning that market leaders and supporters may stage protests over what she described as unfair treatment during the exercise.
Tinubu Ojo made the remarks on Wednesday during the weekly meeting of market leaders and stakeholders held at her office in Alausa, Ikeja, where she accused party structures of allegedly favouring the APC’s Justice Forum bloc during the primaries.
Her comments immediately intensified conversations surrounding growing internal tensions within the Lagos APC ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Specifically, the Iyaloja General questioned the results announced for Mushin Federal Constituency 2, Agege Constituency 2, and Ojokoro constituencies, insisting that the declared outcomes did not reflect the actual wishes of party members.
The Lagos APC had earlier released the official list of candidates who emerged from its House of Representatives and Lagos State House of Assembly primaries.
The list, signed by Lagos APC chairman Cornelius Ojelabi, showed that 24 candidates secured House of Representatives tickets. In comparison, 40 candidates emerged for the Lagos State House of Assembly ahead of the 2027 elections.
However, Tinubu Ojo urged party leaders at both state and national levels to urgently investigate the disputed primaries before final ratification of the results.
According to her, failure to address the complaints could deepen division within the ruling party.
“We are ready to protest because of Seye Oladejo of Mushin Federal Constituency 02, Mutiu Olaide Oladeebo of Agege 2 constituency, Olotu Ojo of Ojokoro constituency, because we know they won this election. Their mandate should not be given to somebody else,” she said.
The Iyaloja General further alleged that APC internal politics in Lagos had become increasingly divided along factional lines between the Justice Forum and the Mandate Group.
She claimed political alignments were now being influenced by perceptions surrounding the governorship ambition of Obafemi Hamzat, whom she identified with the Justice Forum bloc.
“We have to cry out now. Let APC cancel Justice and Mandate Forums. We are one family. We are for APC,” she stated.
“Now, they are using Justice Forum and Mandate because our candidate, Obafemi Hamzat, belongs to the Justice Forum.”
Tinubu Ojo warned that the growing factional politics could weaken the APC internally if not properly managed before the next election cycle.
“Everyone is now joining the Justice Forum because they believe that is where the incoming governor belongs,” she added.
“Even when he becomes governor, he will not govern only APC members; he has to balance it. Everyone must be carried along.”
The market leader also criticised members of the Mandate Group whom she accused of abandoning their bloc for political advantage.
“It is saddening. It is a way of telling us that hard work does not pay in politics. Something must be done about it,” she said.
Beyond the immediate controversy, Tinubu Ojo reaffirmed that market women across Lagos remain committed to supporting Hamzat and other APC candidates in future elections.
At the same time, she argued that traders and market leaders deserve stronger political recognition and inclusion, given their longstanding influence in Lagos politics.
According to her, market women represent a critical voting bloc and should not be sidelined when appointments and governance decisions are being made.
The development has once again highlighted the intense internal power struggles already emerging within the Lagos APC as political calculations for the 2027 elections continue taking shape behind the scenes.
For many observers, the public nature of Tinubu Ojo’s criticism suggests that tensions within the party may be deeper than previously assumed, especially as competing factions position themselves ahead of the Lagos governorship succession battle.