A group of irate protesters attacked the Chairman of the All Progressives Congress in Lagos State, Cornelius Ojelabi, on Monday during a peace parley aimed at reconciling two warring factions within the party.
The incident occurred at the APC Secretariat on Acme Road in Ogba.
A viral video captured the chaotic scene, showing Ojelabi being jostled by the placard-waving protesters until security forces intervened to rescue him.
The aggrieved APC members accused Ojelabi of bias in the ongoing conflict between factional leaders in Alimosho Local Government Area, specifically former Reps member Olufemi Adebanjo (known as ‘Eyes Open’), Bisi Yusuf, and another leader, Abdulahi Enilolobo. Earlier, some interest groups had urged Adebanjo to stop instigating discord among party members in the area.
One faction stated: “We are in a democracy, Femi (Eyes Open) should allow peace to reign in Alimosho, he has benefited immensely through the same system he is now kicking against.”
The protesters, affiliated with the BATCO and Mandate groups, arrived at the party secretariat early in the morning. Tensions escalated when Ojelabi declared, “I do not recognise factions. I only recognise elected and appointed public officers.” This statement infuriated the protesters, who accused him of siding with factional leader Enilolobo.
Reacting to the incident, APC spokesperson Seye Oladejo downplayed the severity of the protest in a statement: “Our attention has been drawn to the news going round about a purported protest rocking Lagos APC. As much as this sensational news might throw the opposition camp into premature celebration, the incident was a storm in a teacup.”
Oladejo emphasized Ojelabi’s ongoing efforts to ensure peaceful co-existence among all party members since taking office. He noted: “Since the resumption of office of the State Chairman, Cornelius Ojelabi, he has continuously sought the peaceful co-existence of all party members in every cradle and cranny of the state. It is on record that he has, at various times, been able to successfully reconcile warring party members across board to ensure cohesion.”
He further explained that the meeting was intended to reconcile the factions within the Alimosho Local Government Area but was disrupted by uninvited individuals with ulterior motives. “The incident today (yesterday) was about a meeting convened to reconcile the different factions of the party in Alimosho Local Government Area which was unfortunately infiltrated by uninvited thugs with ulterior motives. We appreciate the security agencies for promptly bringing the situation under control.”
