Chief Ganiyu Kola Egunjobi and Barrister Azeez Yusuf have responded to the Lagos State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) announcement of their expulsion, stating they had resigned from the party in July 2026. According to them, their resignation was made public through various newspapers and they had defected to the Allied Peoples Movement (APM). The duo described the APC's expulsion announcement as belated and unnecessary.
Egunjobi and Yusuf's decision to leave the APC was due to unresolved grievances from the party's primary elections. They claimed to have won the primaries in their respective constituencies but were denied the opportunity to contest. The two politicians made several attempts to resolve the matter internally, including submitting petitions, making representations, and holding press conferences, but their concerns were not meaningfully addressed.
The former APC members alleged that the September 23 expulsion announcement seemed to be an attempt to alter the circumstances surrounding their departure. They described the action as a "disturbing manifestation of political impunity" and questioned the basis for the party's decision to expel them after they had already left its fold. Egunjobi and Yusuf said they would not be deterred by the development and had no regret about their decision to leave the APC.
Egunjobi and Yusuf defended their decision to defect to the APM, citing the political trajectories of several politicians who had operated on different platforms at various times. They argued that movement between political parties was a familiar feature of Nigerian politics and their decision should not be treated differently. The duo maintained that their decision was based on their political circumstances and unresolved grievances within the APC.
Despite leaving the APC, Egunjobi and Yusuf disclosed that they remained committed to the political interests of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Lagos State Deputy Governor Dr Obafemi Hamzat, Senator Idiat Adebule, and the Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Mudasiru Obasa. They said they were currently working for the success of the Tinubu/Hamzat political project in Agege.
The duo urged those portraying their defection as an act of betrayal to reconsider such a narrative, stressing that political actors should be free to make choices about their party affiliation. Egunjobi and Yusuf said party membership should not be treated as permanent and disagreements with party leadership should not be regarded as political betrayal.
Key points
- Egunjobi and Yusuf resigned from APC in July 2026 before the party's expulsion announcement.
- The duo's departure from APC was due to unresolved grievances from the party's primary elections.
- Egunjobi and Yusuf remain committed to the political interests of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and other key leaders despite leaving APC.
