Former members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Lagos State, Ganiyu Kola Egunjobi and Azeez Yusuf, have rejected their expulsion from the party, insisting that they had resigned their membership weeks before the disciplinary action was announced.
The duo, who are now contesting the 2027 Lagos State House of Assembly elections on the platform of the Allied Peoples Movement (APM), said they formally resigned from the APC in July and had already communicated their decision to relevant party authorities.
Their reaction followed Wednesday’s announcement by the Lagos APC leadership that the two former Agege political figures had been expelled over alleged anti-party activities and disloyalty.
The party said its action was based on its amended constitution after they left the APC and secured APM tickets.
Egunjobi and Yusuf, however, described the expulsion as belated and politically unnecessary, arguing that the September 23 announcement did not alter their status because they had ceased to be APC members weeks earlier.
“How can a party expel people who had already resigned from its membership?” they asked, adding that their resignation and subsequent movement to the APM had been publicly reported.
Their departure followed a dispute over the APC primary elections for Agege State Constituencies I and II.
Both men have maintained that they won their respective primary contests but were subsequently denied the party’s tickets.
Reports on the controversy indicate that Egunjobi challenged the outcome of the Agege Constituency I primary after the APC presented another candidate, while Yusuf similarly disputed the outcome in Constituency II.
The former APC members said they initially sought to resolve their grievances through the party’s internal mechanisms, including petitions, representations and press engagements.
According to them, those efforts did not produce what they considered a satisfactory resolution.
“Unfortunately, our concerns were not meaningfully addressed. There was no genuine engagement, no satisfactory resolution and no meaningful effort to restore confidence in the process,” they said.
They said their eventual decision to leave the APC followed what they described as the exhaustion of available avenues for resolving the disputes internally.
The politicians also accused the party of attempting to alter the narrative surrounding their departure by announcing an expulsion after their resignation.
“To announce the expulsion of people who had resigned weeks earlier is not a demonstration of political strength,” they said.
“Rather, it raises serious questions about respect for internal democracy, due process and the right of party members to make legitimate political choices.”
APC Lagos Chairman, Cornelius Ojelabi, had earlier said the party could not treat membership as something to be abandoned after an unsuccessful primary, arguing that members who lost internal contests were expected to accept the outcome or pursue recognised avenues for redress.
Egunjobi and Yusuf rejected the suggestion that their movement to the APM constituted political betrayal.
They argued that movement between political parties was a regular feature of Nigerian politics and cited politicians including Senator Musiliu Obanikoro, Dr Wale Ahmed, Hon. Yinka Ogundimu, Hon. Jubril AbdulKareem and Sola Osolana as examples of political actors who had operated under different platforms.
“If political movement is acceptable when others do it, why is our own decision suddenly being presented as an offence deserving expulsion?” they asked.
Despite leaving the APC, the duo said their political relationships and support for several leaders remained unchanged.
They declared continued support for President Bola Tinubu, Lagos APC governorship candidate Obafemi Hamzat, Senator Idiat Adebule and Lagos State House of Assembly Speaker Rt. Hon. Mudasiru Obasa.
Egunjobi and Yusuf also said they were working for the success of the Tinubu-Hamzat political project in Agege despite contesting the Assembly seats under the APM.
“Our political disagreement with certain aspects of the APC leadership does not erase our support for these leaders,” they said.
Their position comes amid heightened political activity in Agege following their defection. APC stakeholders in the constituency had earlier dismissed concerns that the movement of the two politicians to the APM would weaken the party’s electoral strength.
The two politicians maintained that their decision was driven by their experience during the APC primary process rather than a rejection of their political allies.
“We left a party; we did not abandon our principles, our relationships or the people we believe in,” they said.
They urged their supporters to remain calm and focused as they continue their political activities under the APM, while pledging to remain committed to the development of Agege and Lagos State.
“Our message is simple: we resigned, we moved on, and we remain focused on the political future ahead,” they said.
