Igbo, Delta Candidates Spring Surprise in Lagos, Win Three House Seats

In what may turn out to be one of the significant upsets in
this year’s general election, Igbos living in Lagos have
made a significant statement by clearing at least two
House of Representatives seats out of the five won by the
Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
In total, the All Progressives Congress (APC) lost six seats
to the opposition in the state. While the PDP cleared five
seats, three of which were won by candidates of South-east
origin, the Accord Party (AP) won the sixth.
Although most of the House seats lost by the APC were in
the Igbo-dominated local government areas of the state, the
AP victory was situated in the heart of Mushin, another
crucial part of the state.
For instance, in Amuwo Odofin Local Government Area,
which has a high South-eastern population, particularly in
areas like Kirikiri, Satellite Town and FESTAC, the PDP
candidate, Oghene Egboh, who is from Delta State, defeated
Mr. Ganiyu Olukolu of the APC.
The same scenario played out in Ajeromi/Ifelodun, another
densely-populated area in Lagos State, which is home to
Ajegunle (an Igbo-dominated area), as the PDP candidate,
Mrs. Rita Orji, a South-easterner and lawyer, defeated
Taiwo Adenekan of the APC.
In Oshodi/Isolo Federal Constituency 2, the incumbent, Mr.
Akeem Munir, lost to Mr. Tony Nwoolu of the PDP, also an
Igbo man.
Still for the PDP, the story was not different in another Igbo-
dominated Ojo council are, where the PDP candidate,
although a Yoruba man, Mr. Tajudeen Obasa, won the seat.
Also, in Surulere Federal Constituency 2, in which Aguda is
situated and a few other Igbo settlements, Mr. Tunji
Soyinka of the PDP defeated Mr. Hakeem Bamgbala of the
APC.
Apart from the “Igbo factor”, it was learnt that the
incumbent, Mr. Aliyu Kazeem, had been in court with
Bamgbala over the conduct of the primary. Thus the
division within the party was believed to have given the
PDP the leverage in the community.
The APC candidate in Mushin Federal Constituency 2, Mr.
Yemi Alli, who incidentally, is a three-time former local
government chairman in Mushin, lost to Hon. Dauda Kako-
Aare of the AP.
Kako-Aare, the incumbent, had lost at the APC primary last
December to Alli but defected to AP, where he eventually
retained his seat.