Agege Monarchs Urge Ex-Lagos LG Chairman to Return to APC

Traditional rulers and religious leaders in Agege, Lagos State, have urged former Agege Local Government Chairman, Ganiyu Egunjobi, to return to the All Progressives Congress (APC) following his defection to the Allied Peoples Movement (APM).

The appeal was made during a peace meeting in Agege on Sunday, September 27, convened to address political tensions in the area ahead of the 2027 general elections.

Those at the meeting included the Alaige of Orile-Agege, Oba Ambaliu Agbeleyi; the Olu of Agege, Oba Oyedeji Kamila Ishiba; the Baale of Dopemu, High Chief Shuaib Ajayi; representatives of the Christian Association of Nigeria and Muslim clerics.

The traditional rulers and religious leaders called on Egunjobi and other politicians to avoid actions that could create tension or threaten peace in the communities.

Oba Agbeleyi said reports of possible violence linked to the political situation had prompted the meeting, stressing the need for community leaders to intervene before disagreements escalated.

Oba Ishiba also appealed to politicians and their supporters to pursue peaceful means of resolving their differences, saying the communities did not want confrontation.

The Chief Imam of Dopemu, Alhaji Sulaiman, urged political leaders to remember that political positions were temporary and should not become a cause of violence.

Egunjobi, who attended the meeting, explained that his defection followed disagreements over the APC primary election. He claimed he had won the party's primary but was subsequently passed over for another candidate.

He also alleged that the APC leadership in Lagos did not invite him or his supporters for reconciliation after the dispute emerged.

According to him, he and his supporters had considered seeking legal redress but were persuaded by the Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Mudashiru Obasa, to hold back.

Egunjobi assured residents that his political group would not promote violence, saying there would be no war in the community.

The development comes amid political realignments in Lagos ahead of the 2027 elections, with Egunjobi and other former APC members having moved to the APM.