It seems like a foregone conclusion that the All Progressives Congress (APC) will coast to victory at the Lagos House of Assembly polls. In 2019, APC won all the 40 available seats in the house. Is it destined to happen again?
John Okoro Kome, who is running for the Ikeja constituency 1 seat under the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) doesn’t think so.
He believes he is the candidate to beat after battling up to the Court of Appeal to win his party’s nomination.
Mr Kome, who contested the 2021 Lagos East senatorial by-election under the African Democratic Congress, said it is time for the PDP to take over Lagos.
Another candidate trying to break the APC’s hold on the House is Tari Taylaur, who is running to represent Eti-Osa constituency 1 under the Youth party. Ms. Taylaur is the environment secretary for the Lekki Estate Residents Association (LERA).
In 2021, she contested for councillor in her Lekki ward but lost to a process she has described as rife “with so many irregularities.” Although she could not later overturn the result, she went to the tribunal “to show the public that we cannot continue to have such impunity and rigging and just all sorts of blatant irregularities in the local government elections.”
Now, under the Youth Party, she is trying again. “So, a lot of times, I feel tired, I feel like, oh my goodness, what have you gotten yourself into? Yes, a lot of times I feel very disillusioned by the system, the corruption, the impunity. But what do we do? Do we just roll over and die and do nothing?” She said in a recent interview.
Elizabeth Ekanem, a paediatric therapist and educator, is also vying for Eti-Osa constituency 1 seat under the African Democratic Congress. If elected, Ms Ekanem has vowed to be a voice for children living with disabilities, present bills for the rehabilitation and opening of industries and vocational centres in Lekki and lobby the state government to create waterways and drainages as part of efforts to ease the intensity of the seasonal Lekki flooding.
Comrade Opeyemi Benjamin Ogunlami, who is vying for the Kosofe Constituency 1 seat under the African Action Congress (AAC) has promised to set up an interest-free revolving loan for market women and artisans if elected into office.
But amid the renewed opposition, the APC is also not resting on its laurels. At a rally this week held at an open field by the Federal Government College, Ijanikin, along the Lagos-Badagry Expressway, the party said it welcomed an unspecified number of defectors from the PDP and the Action Alliance (AA).
“The election we will be having in February is when we will be electing our leader, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu and his vice, Kashim Shettima,” Director-General of the Lagos APC State Campaign Council, Senator Ganiyu Solomon, said.
“On the same day, we will elect our National Assembly candidates. Two weeks after, we will re-elect our Governor Sanwo-Olu and his deputy, Hamzat. Likewise, we are going to elect 40 members of the state House of Assembly.”
The APC is confident. It has many reasons to be.
Some of the candidates battling for entry into the Lagos State House of Assembly:
| Constituency | APC | PDP | LP | ADP | NNPP |
| Agege 01 | OBASA MUDASHIRU | BANKOLE OLUWASEYI BABANTUNDE | RAHEEM RASAKI ALANI | ODUSAMI OLADIPUPO | ALUBANKUDI ADEBAYO SHERIFF |
| Agege 02 | ABDULKAREEM JUBREEL AYODEJI | EJIKUNLE OLORUNSHOGO ISRAEL | AKINROPO ABDULLAH | ADESEGHA OLUYEMISI. OMOTOLA | EKUNOLA RICHARD AEDEYEMI |
| Ajeromi Ifelodun 01 | OLUMOH SAAD LUKMAN | ODUMOSU LUQMAN ADELAGUN | MUKAWA JUBRIL | OKOLOSE VINCENT | JOHNSON SHOLA OBEY |
| Ajeromi Ifelodun 02 | OLUWA AKANBI SABUR | KUYE TAOFEEK OLAJIDE | ILOGEME UCHE JOSEPH | UWANDU WILFRED CHUKWUMA | ADEYI FRANCIS |
| Alimosho 01 | JIMOH ORELOPE LUQMAN OLATUNJI | SOGUNRO SUNDAY EMMANUEL | MAFE OLAKOKUNBO | EBENEZER OLUWAFEMI | KOLAPO JEJELOLA ELIZABETH |
| Alimosho 02 | JOSEPH KEHINDE OLAIDE | EJALONIBU MONSURU | SHOSANNA OLUWAFEMI | GLORY ADEBAYO | ADEBOWALE ISLAMIYYAH ABIODUN |
| Amuwo Odofin 01 | FOLORUNSO OLUSEGUN OLAITAN | DAVIES ALABA EMMANUEL | OSAFILE FOLUKE STELLA | OLIVER OGBAR | DOROTHY CHIEGEONU ILEGBUNE |
| Amuwo Odofin 02 | RAUF OLAWALE AGESULAIMAN | OLUWA AFEEZ GBADESHERE | TUNDE FASHINA | OJETUNDE ELIJAH | ONWURAH SYLVESTER CHUKWUDI |
| Apapa 01 | MERANDA MOJISOLA LASBAT | DAUDA ALIYU | ABANI EMMAMUEL OMEN | ADEBAYO LUKMAN | LATIFU ALAMU ADETINWO |
| Apapa 02 | LAWAL AINA MUSIBAU | OGUNYINKA BABAWALE OLUFUNSO | AZARE JOHN NOBLE | BOLANLE FATAI | AKINTOLA BELLO |
| Badagry 01 | BONU SOLOMON SAANU | FAYEMI OLUWAGBENGA | JAYESIMI SEMANU SAMUEL | YEKINNI ADETONA JAMIU | AWE GBEMISOLA SIKIRAT |
| Badagry 02 | DAVID SETONJI SAMUEL | ASHADE WAHAB AIYELERU | GBADAMASI KOLAWOLE AKEEM | DOSUNMU MODINARY ADUKE | ABADONI DAVID CHUKUORIMO |
| Epe 01 | TOBUN MUSTAINU ABIODUN | KESHINRO ABIODUN AKEEM | ADENIJI RONKE IYABODE | ADEDOKUN GAFAR | FATOKUN AJAO OLAYIDE |
| Epe 02 | OGUNKELU SYLESTER OLUWADAHUNSI | ADESADA WASIU AKINGBADE | ODUTAN AHMED TOLANI | LASISI TOSIN | ECHIGBUE PATRICK |
| Eti Osa 01 | ADAMS NOHEEM BABATUNDE | LASISI AKEEM JINADU | ADENIJI RONKE IYABODE | AREMU OLUFEMI EMMANUEL | SOBANDE OLANREWAJU OLUWASEYI |
| Eti Osa 02 | YISHAWU GBOLAHAN RUFAI OLUSEGUNALABI | TAIWO OLUWASOGO JOSEPH | FANGNON GBEMI | AGBONMA OLUWATOYIN SOLAIDE | UMAR ABDULAZEEZ MUHAMMED |
| Ibeju Lekki 01 | MOJEED FATAI ADEBOLA | BALOGUN WARIS DARE | FASHINA TOPE | HAMSAT BARAKAT ADEJOKE | COLLINS ENAMUHOR |
| Ibeju Lekki 02 | AJAYI OLADELE OLUWADAMILARE | ABIBU ADEKUNLE WASIU | AWOSANYA BAYO | ADETONS HALEEMAT | ORIOMI YUSUF DAVID |
| Ifako Ijaiye 01 | ADEWALE TEMITOPE ADEDEJI | OLOYEDE MUTAIRU ABIODUN | TUNDE FASHINA | SHODEHINDE OLUWATOBI | OGBEBOR LUKE IKHUORIA |
| Ifako Ijaiye 02 | OLOTU OJO EMMANUEL | GIWA ADESHOLA WASIU | ADENIJI RONKE IYABODE | ADEKOYA OLAOLUWA | BADMUS OLAINALE OLALEKAN QUADRI |
| Ikeja 01 | LAWAL ADESEYI, LAWAL | JOHN OKORO KOME | JIMOH ALABA | SHODEHINDE TUNMISE | AKERELE OLABODE KAHINDE |
| Ikeja 02 | KASUNMI ADEMOLA, ADEGOKUNBO, RICHARD | OMITADE ADEWALE OLUMIDE | YUSUF YINKA | OLAEUNLE CHRISTIANA | OSWALD STEVE SUNDAY |
| Ikorodu 01 | OGUNLEYE GBOLAHAN APETOKUNBO | LAWAL OLAMIDE OLALEKAN | JAYESIMI SEMANU SAMUEL | SAMSON SULIAMON | ADEBOWALE ISLAMIYYAH ABIODUN |
| Ikorodu 02 | ARO MOSHOOD ABIODUN | OYEBO ADEWALE ISIAKA | ADETULA FAUSAT OLAIDE | AZEEZ GBOLAHAN | ONIBUDO SODIQ ABIODUN |
| Kosofe 01 | SANNI GANIYU BABATUNDE | OWOAJE BABASOLA GABRIEL | OSIKUMINU AKINWANDE AYOKUNLE | AFOLABI OMOLOLA | LATIFU ALAMU ADETINWO |
| Kosofe 02 | SAHEED WASIU OBAFEMI | BALOGUN IBRAHIM ADEBISI | ADEYEMI HAMMED BABATUNDE | OLOWOFO CHLSERA ESTHER | BAKARE BABAJIDE BADEJOKO |
| Lagos Island 01 | LAWAL OLUMEGBON OMOLARA OMOTADE | SAHEED TAOFEEK ABOLAJI | KASALI OLAWALE | ADEOLA CYNTHIA | AJISEFINI AHMED SHERIF |
| Lagos Island 02 | AFINNI OLANREWAJU SULEIMAN | DAVIES LAWAL | APATA FEYITAYO | ADETAYO MOTUNRAYO | JONES MAXWELL AKINYEMI |
| Lagos Mainland 01 | OWOLABI IBRAHIM AJANI | OWOLABI LUKMAN BABATUNDE | ABODERIN ADEMUYIWA ADURAGBEMI | AFOSE SULAIMAN SENATON | OLADIPE VICTOR OLAREWAJU |
| Lagos Mainland 02 | SHABI RASHEED ADEBOLA ADEKOLA | PRATT AKINTUNOE BABABUNMI | SHODIMU OLUFEMI GEORGE | SHAQ OLADELE | ALUBANKUDI ADEBAYO SHERIFF |
| Mushin 01 | AKINSANYA AYINDE NURENI | HASSAN FATAI OLANIYI | ISIAQ TOAFEEK KAYODE | BOCAJI FAYSAL | OGUNLEYE TAIWO RAHMON |
| Mushin 02 | KAZEEM OLAYINKA M | AREMU TAJUDEEN | AYANLOLA PAUL | ADEKANMBI ABIDEMI | ALUBANKUDI ADEBAYO SHERIFF |
| Ojo 01 | EGE OLUSEGUN ADEBISI | AMOSU OYEDELE GBEMOVOH | OREGBEMI OLAWALE | FELIX TEJUMOLA AGBOOLA | YAKUBU ILIASU BARGONI |
| Ojo 02 | TIJJANI SURAJU OLATUNJI | AMOSU RASHEED OLADELE | TANPINNU REUBEN SHEDIYE | IFEANYI OKOLIE | EMMANUEL OZOR CHUKWURAH |
| Oshodi-Isolo 01 | OGUNDIPE STEPHEN OLUKAYODE | AKINYEMI AKINTUNDE K | EKWUBIBI UGOCHUKWU | NGOKA OBIAGELI GLORIA | AL-HAYUNI MARYAM BOLANJE |
| Oshodi-Isolo 02 | AJOMALE OLADIPO OLUYINKA | AREGBE SAHEED ADEKUNLE | OBANUFIN SHEHU SAMUEL | JIMOH SHADIAT | NWOYE PHILLIP EMEKA |
| Somolu 01 | OREKOYA ABIODUN | SHITTU ADEDOLA OLUKOREDE | ADELANA ADESEGUN ADEWALE | ADENIYI KOLADE | GABRIEL TEMITOPE DOSUNMU |
| Somolu 02 | APATA SAMUEL OLU | AJAYI AYODEJI JOHNSON | OLUSEGUN FATAI | OLAIYA IBRAHIM | BAALE TAOREED OLADIPO |
| Surulere 01 | ELLIOTT OLUSHOLA | THOMPSON SULAIMON ABOLAJI | ADEBAYO BODE | OMOTOSHO OLUWASEFUNMI | ONWUBORU PEACE |
| Surulere 02 | SANGODARA MOSUNMOLA, ROTIMI | JOHNSON MODUPE OLABOWALE | SUNDAYFAMORITADE OLADELE | KAMPE JULIANA | CLEMENT OJO ILASHEVA LAWANSON |
