Supporters of former House of Representatives member, Kolawole Taiwo, popularly known as HKT, on Monday staged a peaceful protest to the Lagos State House of Assembly, alleging irregularities and manipulation during the party’s primary election held on May 16, 2026, in Ajeromi-Ifelodun.
Speaking during the protest, Agbalaya Ganiyu, Youth Leader of Ajeromi-Ifelodun, claimed that the primary election process was compromised despite assurances from President Bola Ahmed Tinubu that party primaries would be conducted peacefully and transparently.
Ganiyu described Kolawole Taiwo as a grassroots politician who made significant impacts during his tenure in the House of Representatives through constituency projects, empowerment programmes for women and youths, and the facilitation of schools and hospitals.
According to him, supporters of HKT participated fully in the May 16 primary election and believed their candidate won the contest in most wards before the process was allegedly manipulated.
He alleged that the returning officer was taken away and prevented from addressing party members openly, claiming that fake results were later presented at the APC Secretariat.
“They hijacked the returning officer and took him to another location where they allegedly wrote different results before presenting them at Acme,” he said.
The protesters maintained that the exercise in some wards did not hold, yet figures were allegedly entered into result sheets. They also alleged that the number of votes recorded in some areas exceeded the number of registered party members.
Ganiyu said the protesters were not violent but were at the secretariat to formally present their grievances to Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu and the Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Mr. Mudashiru Obasa urging them to intervene and investigate the alleged discrepancies.
“We have evidence to support our claims. What happened was manipulation and fraud, and we are demanding that our mandate be returned,” he said.
Placards displayed by the protesters carried inscriptions such as “Democracy Under Siege, Stop the Manipulation,” “HKT Is Our Voice,” “We Demand Justice for Ajeromi-Ifelodun,” and “President of Our Country, Come to Our Rescue in Ifelodun, Return Our Mandate.”
In a related development, Security presence was heightened at the APC Secretariat in Acme, with armed security personnel stationed at the entrance and an armoured tank deployed to maintain law and order.
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