Stakeholders in Orile-Agege and Agege Local Government Areas of Lagos State have appealed to former council chairman Ganiyu Egunjobi and Azeez Yusuf to return to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
The stakeholders, including traditional rulers, religious leaders and political figures, made the appeal at a peace meeting held on Sunday in Orile-Agege.
They urged Egunjobi and Yusuf to reconsider their positions in the interest of peace and development ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Oba Ambaliu Agbedeyi, the Alaige of Orile-Agege, said reports of possible violence prompted the meeting, adding that his priority remained the peace, stability and development of the community.
“We want peace and progress in our community. When I heard that there will be bloodshed, I cannot fold my arms and watch.
“If we sit idle and do not intervene, and it comes to pass, we will be blamed for it,” he said.
Agbedeyi appealed to Egunjobi and Yusuf to reconsider their positions and preserve the peace that had prevailed in the community.
Similarly, the Olu of Agege, Oba Oyedeji Kamila Ishiba, urged politicians and their supporters to shun confrontation.
“We don’t want fight or rancour in our communities. Promotion is of God. We don’t pray for commotion in our communities.
“We want you to work on achieving peace and stability in your party and the community,” he said.
Chief Shuaib Ajayi, the Baale of Dopemu, also urged stakeholders to uphold truth and sustain efforts towards peace.
Apostle Babajide Ajibode, Chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Orile-Agege Chapter, said religious leaders would continue praying for peace and progress.
“The party has spoken and we must align with the position of the party. Some weeks back, the party invited us to a prayer meeting.
“I am not a politician but, as a clergyman, we will continue to pray for the peace and progress of the party,” he said.
Alhaji Olawale Sulaiman, Chief Imam of Dopemu, urged party leaders to intervene and prevent actions capable of triggering violence.
Sulaiman said political positions were temporary and should not result in the loss of lives.
“Seeking positions only has meaning in this world. It is a thing of this world and only useful as long as we breathe.
“If we are fighting over these intangible things and lives are lost, history will never forget the person behind the event,” he said.
Egunjobi, who recently defected from APC to the Allied Peoples Movement (APM), said he was unaware of the meeting until he was invited by one of the clerics.
The former council chairman said the primary election period was politically sensitive and required fairness and reconciliation.
Egunjobi claimed he won the party’s primary election but said the APC subsequently settled for another candidate.
He argued that the development should have been followed by a reconciliation process.
“When you know that a candidate would be selected, you won’t tell us to go to the field.
“If I am relieved of my winning, the party should deem it fit to invite us to a meeting,” he said.
According to him, APC leadership had not reached out to him for reconciliation since the disputed primary.
He said he expected party leaders to convene a meeting involving the contending groups.
Egunjobi said he and his supporters considered going to court but were prevailed upon by Lagos State House of Assembly Speaker, Mudashiru Obasa.
“Before the issue degenerated into this, the leadership of the state APC led by Cornelius Ojelabi did not deem it fit to intervene. Not even Mr Speaker. Let us fear God,” he said.
Egunjobi said his decision to leave APC was not without precedent, recalling a similar development involving Ojelabi in 1999.
He alleged that Ojelabi left the Alliance for Democracy for the Peoples Democratic Party after failing to retain his Ojo council chairmanship.
Egunjobi said he and his supporters had remained calm and law-abiding despite the disagreement.
He added that he had initially not intended to contest the Lagos State House of Assembly election but was persuaded to do so.
Egunjobi, however, commended the meeting’s convener and assured residents that the disagreement would not cause violence.
Egunjobi is seeking election in Agege Constituency I on the APM platform, while Yusuf, popularly known as Ninolowo, is contesting the Agege Constituency II seat on the same platform.
The duo recently left the APC for the APM and secured tickets to contest the 2027 Lagos State House of Assembly elections.
