₦airaland Forum

Controversy has continued to trail the emergence of Hon. Gbenga Abiola, popularly known as Agbelebu, as the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate for the Agege Constituency I seat in the Lagos State House of Assembly election, with party stakeholders expressing concerns over the potential impact on the party’s presidential and governorship votes in the 2027 general elections.

The growing discontent, according to sources within the party, is linked to questions surrounding Mr Abiola’s grassroots influence, political structure and ability to mobilise voters beyond the network of his former political benefactors.

Some APC stakeholders and grassroots mobilisers in Agege reportedly fear that internal divisions over his candidacy could weaken the party’s electoral machinery and create an opening for opposition parties to make inroads into an area traditionally regarded as an important component of the APC’s electoral base in Lagos.

The controversy has intensified following the defection of Alhaji Ganiyu Egunjobi, a two-term former chairman of Agege Local Government, from the APC to the Allied Peoples’ Movement (APM).

Mr Egunjobi, who previously served as Mr Abiola’s political superior, has reportedly secured the APM ticket for the same legislative constituency, setting the stage for a contest between the former local government chairman and his former vice-chairman.

The development has raised concerns within the APC over the possible fragmentation of its grassroots support ahead of the 2027 elections.

The disagreement surrounding Mr Abiola’s candidacy reportedly centres on his political experience and the extent of his independent support base.

Some party insiders contend that his political rise was closely associated with the support of political godfather, under whose political structure he held several positions, including Sole Administrator of Agege Local Government, Secretary to the Local Government and Vice Chairman.

The critics argue that the loss of the structure associated with his former political patron could present challenges for his campaign, particularly in an election that requires extensive ward-level organisation and voter mobilisation.

However, these claims reflect the views of the critics and would require independent verification. The extent of Mr Abiola’s current grassroots support, as well as the level of loyalty retained by party members following the defection, remains unclear.

A purported APC ward executive, speaking anonymously, was quoted as saying that Mr Abiola had not independently won a major electoral contest.

According to TheNation Newspaper report, Hon. Ganiu Kola Egunjobi secured a total of 9,132 votes to defeat his former Vice Chairman, Hon. Oluwagbenga Abiola, popularly known as Agbelebu, thereby clinching the party’s ticket for the 2027 general election.

The source reportedly questioned whether the APC could sustain its electoral strength in Agege while managing the internal disagreement surrounding the assembly candidate.

Mr Egunjobi’s reported movement to the APM has become a significant talking point in the political calculations surrounding Agege Constituency I.

With the former council chairman now positioned to challenge Mr Abiola, the contest could extend beyond the assembly race and influence the wider political mobilisation efforts of the parties involved.

The potential consequences for the APC include the diversion of campaign resources, competing mobilisation networks and discontent among party members who may not support the assembly candidate.

Political observers also note that the impact of such a split on the presidential and governorship elections cannot be determined solely by the outcome of the assembly contest.

Although party-level divisions may affect mobilisation, voters can make different choices across the various positions on the ballot. Consequently, any projection of APC vote losses would require reliable polling data, historical voting figures and evidence of changes in voter allegiance.

The central concern among some APC stakeholders is whether the dispute over the Agege Constituency I assembly ticket could affect the party’s performance in the presidential and Lagos governorship elections.

Agege’s voting patterns and the strength of its party mobilisation networks make the constituency relevant to broader electoral calculations in Lagos. However, the precise size of its contribution to APC presidential and governorship votes would need to be established using official election results.

A party stakeholder, speaking anonymously, reportedly raised concerns about the ability of the APC to mobilise voters across the different elections amid the internal disagreement.

“How do we deliver maximum votes for the presidential and governorship elections when our grassroots engine in Agege has been torn apart?”

The statement reflects the concerns attributed to the source, rather than an independently established forecast of the party’s electoral performance.

The APC’s ability to retain its support in Agege will depend on several factors, including its internal reconciliation efforts, the strength of its campaign organisation, voter turnout and the strategies adopted by opposition parties.

The political dispute involving Abiola and Egunjobi has placed the Agege Constituency I race within a broader debate over political succession, party loyalty and grassroots influence.

For the APC, the challenge extends beyond defending a legislative seat. It also involves maintaining cohesion among party members and preserving the organisational networks that support its candidates across the ballot.

For the APM and other opposition parties, the reported defection presents an opportunity to compete for voters who may be dissatisfied with the APC’s candidate selection and internal processes.

Whether the controversy surrounding Mr Abiola’s candidacy will translate into measurable losses for the APC in the presidential and governorship elections remains to be seen.

As the 2027 elections approach, the outcome will depend on the parties’ ability to manage internal disagreements, mobilise supporters and persuade voters across Agege’s wards.

AnonPoet:
2027: Controversy Trails Gbenga Abiola’s Candidacy as Agege APC Fears Loss of Presidential, Governorship Votes


https://www.airwavesreport.com/2027-controversy-trails-gbenga-abiolas-candidacy-as-agege-apc-fears-loss-of-presidential-governorship-votes/

AMINDA:
Do they? I thought Tinubu has won the entire Southwest in a landslide already?

AnonPoet:
2027: Controversy Trails Gbenga Abiola’s Candidacy as Agege APC Fears Loss of Presidential, Governorship Votes


https://www.airwavesreport.com/2027-controversy-trails-gbenga-abiolas-candidacy-as-agege-apc-fears-loss-of-presidential-governorship-votes/

AMINDA:
Do they? I thought Tinubu has won the entire Southwest in a landslide already?

Jayhome24:
Pls may I ask what concern Agege APM with Tinubu?

Akerele44:
See I’m from agege and I was born and brought up in agege…even the two APC that defected to APM still says that there vote is for Tinubu…the former council chairman that defected to APM was the worstest council chairman during his 8yrs as chairman of agege I knew him very well
This gbenga is far much more popular and generous than him in agege

Akerele44:
See I’m from agege and I was born and brought up in agege…even the two APC that defected to APM still says that there vote is for Tinubu…the former council chairman that defected to APM was the worstest council chairman during his 8yrs as chairman of agege I knew him very well
This gbenga is far much more popular and generous than him in agege

Cyberterror:
Four months remaining to enjoy your self delusion

Your Peter Obi will never be President.

Addme:
Yu are right. This is definitely from Obasa caucus. After they lost that election to Agbelebu,they have been everywhere trying to discredit the guy.
Even Obasa has been sleepless couple with the fact that he can't be Speaker again. Power gradually slipping from him.

fergie001:
Obasa is reportedly backing the APM candidate.

Jayhome24:
Thanks. I was just wondering how seebody that defect to APM in Agege now Tinubu headache in general election I'm I'm not understanding at all.

Akerele44:
I knew both the APC candidate and the apm candidate very well especially in agege…that Agbelebu will beat the miserable former council chairman before afternoon of Election Day…the speaker of Lagos state was pained that they didn’t give his boy the ticket of house of assembly as he usually controls and the speaker nuisance way caused him all this

Jayhome24:
You are not getting my point. What I'm saying is how does his defection affect general election is what I'm not understanding.

Cyberterror:
Four months remaining to enjoy your self delusion

Your Peter Obi will never be President.

“Wike Lied! Ibadan Airport Upgrade Being Funded Solely by Oyo State — No N50bn From President Bola Tinubu" - Governor Seyi Makinde pic.twitter.com/L5kZdqQzdM

— Oyo Affairs (@Oyoaffairs) September 22, 2026

Akerele44:
Dapada awon Obasa cancus coming online to form topic…gbenga Agbelebu pull crowd pass even Obasa himself for agege sef..next time if u want to post fake topic ask who is living in agege before u post ur rubbish topic…egunjobi that was the worstest chairman during his tenure as the chairman…people hate him like mad…Obasa time as imposter has gone..he think he would install candidates successfully all of his candidates none see ticket aside from him that went for rep..if u are Obasa Abi obidients u better go rest bcuz u knew nothing about politics talkless of agege politics where I was born and brought up

fergie001:
Obasa is reportedly backing the APM candidate.

AMINDA:
APM may just end up becoming a dark horse in the Southwest and will pull many surprises. This will further be detrimental to APC's chances

Cyberterror:
Four months remaining to enjoy your self delusion

Your Peter Obi will never be President.

Wahabfuture:
Apart from the 31k monthly, your desire has always been for Tinubu to take you to Chicago so you can continue with his white powder, which he will never do because he has no empathy for anyone other than himself and his children. Are you not aware that Tinubu is a fool?

Akerele44:
Dapada awon Obasa cancus coming online to form topic…gbenga Agbelebu pull crowd pass even Obasa himself for agege sef..next time if u want to post fake topic ask who is living in agege before u post ur rubbish topic…egunjobi that was the worstest chairman during his tenure as the chairman…people hate him like mad…Obasa time as imposter has gone..he think he would install candidates successfully all of his candidates none see ticket aside from him that went for rep..if u are Obasa Abi obidients u better go rest bcuz u knew nothing about politics talkless of agege politics where I was born and brought up

Sensiblerealist:
Make I dey one corner dey observe. One thing I know is that some people go lose their lives cuz of stuff that they stand to gain little or nothing from. The reason I said that is because the Agbelebu guy wants to prove that he has come of age in the local political dynamics and the guy gets bad boys for hand ooo make I noor lie you. At the same time , the Egunjobi guy na confam Ogboni/Alawo guy wey even go head to head with the king just that he didn't have his way all through. I just happy as Obasa has been demystified a bit cuz he wanted to turn every into his lap dogs, which he did in last local government elections. He installed probably around 7 local government/LCDA chairmen
As you posited, I can't say who worse pass btw Egunjobi and Jubi in terms of performance.yl my own is just that, noor put head of e nor concern you, na their matter