The protesters, made up of party members, youths, women and supporters of the lawmaker, marched to the APC Bariga Secretariat before proceeding to the state secretariat in Acme, Ikeja, to submit petitions over the outcome of the May 20, 2026 primary election.
The aggrieved supporters alleged that although Akpata clearly won the primary election for Shomolu Constituency II, his name was allegedly replaced on the published list with that of another aspirant who they claimed came third in the contest.
During the protest, supporters chanted solidarity songs and carried placards demanding that the APC leadership correct what they described as an injustice capable of undermining the democratic process within the party.
Speaking with journalists after submitting the petition at the Bariga Secretariat, former councillor, Hon. Abiodun Kazeem, said the protesters decided to first approach the local government secretariat because “charity begins at home.”
According to him, the protest became necessary following the circulation of a published list which allegedly omitted the name of Akpata despite his victory at the primary.
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“We the people of Bariga, Shomolu Constituency II are here this morning to register our displeasure. A primary election held in our local government on May 20, 2026. Hon. Samuel Akpata contested, Hon. Atunrase contested, Ali Balogun contested, and a winner emerged,” Kazeem said.
“Hon. Akpata won the election with 9,081 votes. The second contestant scored 814 votes while the person who came third scored 677 votes. But to our surprise, the published list carried the name of the person who came third.”
Kazeem stated that the people initially believed the development might have resulted from an administrative error, expressing confidence in the leadership of the party at the state level.
“We know our leaders at the apex body and we believe there might have been a mistake somewhere. We voted massively for Hon. Akpata because he represented us well during his first tenure. The people of Shomolu Constituency II benefited immensely from his representation,” he added.
He further warned against what he described as “backdoor politics” capable of subverting the will of the people.
“We do not want backdoor politics to override the voice of our people. This is why we are presenting our petition to the party leadership. It is impossible for someone who came third in a primary election to suddenly emerge on the final list. We are confident the party leadership will restore the mandate of Hon. Akpata whom the people genuinely voted for,” he stated.
Kazeem also disclosed that after submitting their petition at the Bariga Secretariat, the protesters moved to the APC state secretariat in Acme to formally register their grievances before the state leadership of the party.
“As we have done this at the local government level, we are also proceeding to the state secretariat because charity begins at home,” he added.
On his part, the APC Youth Leader in Bariga, Caleb Olonitola, said party youths were shocked by the publication of another aspirant’s name despite Akpata’s overwhelming victory at the primary.
According to him, the development had created confusion among party supporters and young people within the constituency.
“We voted massively for Hon. Akpata because of the love and confidence we have in him. But we were shocked to see the name of the person who came third in the primary published as the party’s candidate,” Olonitola said.
“This has thrown many of our young people into confusion because they are asking why the mandate freely given to Hon. Samuel Olufemi Akpata is being handed over to another person.”
