Chief Ganiyu Kola Egunjobi and Barrister Azeez Yusuf have dismissed their expulsion from the All Progressives Congress, APC, by the Lagos State chapter of the party, describing the decision as belated and politically unnecessary.
The duo said they had already resigned their APC membership in July 2026 and subsequently joined the Allied Peoples Movement, APM, several weeks before the party announced their expulsion on September 23.
In a joint statement signed by both men, they said their resignation and defection had been publicly communicated, questioning why the APC would expel them after they had formally left the party.
“For the avoidance of doubt, we resigned from the APC in July 2026, weeks before the Party announced our purported expulsion on September 23,” they said.
Egunjobi and Yusuf said their decision to leave the APC followed unresolved grievances over the party’s primary elections. They alleged that they won the primaries in their respective constituencies but were subsequently denied the opportunity to proceed as the party’s candidates.
According to them, they made several attempts to resolve the matter internally through petitions, representations and press conferences, while repeatedly appealing to the party leadership to address their concerns.
“Unfortunately, our concerns were not meaningfully addressed. There was no genuine engagement, no satisfactory resolution and no meaningful effort to restore confidence in the process,” they said.
The former APC members said they eventually left the party after exhausting what they considered available channels for resolving the dispute, maintaining that the September 23 expulsion announcement could not change the circumstances of their earlier resignation.
They described the development as an attempt to “rewrite a political history that had already moved on,” while raising concerns over what they said were implications for internal democracy, due process and the right of party members to make political choices.
“To announce the expulsion of people who had resigned weeks earlier is not a demonstration of political strength,” they said.
Egunjobi and Yusuf further described the action as a “disturbing manifestation of political impunity,” alleging that it was intended to create the impression that the decision to end their APC membership had been imposed on them.
They insisted, however, that they would not be intimidated by the development and expressed no regret over their decision to leave the party.
The duo also defended their decision to join the APM, noting that movement between political parties has been a recurring feature of Nigerian politics. They cited the political trajectories of Senator Musiliu Obanikoro, Dr Wale Ahmed, Yinka Ogundimu, Jubril AbdulKareem and Sola Osolana as examples of politicians who have operated under different party platforms.
“If political movement is acceptable when others do it, why is our own decision suddenly being presented as an offence deserving expulsion?” they asked.
They maintained that their departure from the APC was driven by their political circumstances and unresolved grievances, rather than hostility towards political leaders or candidates whom they still support.
The two former APC members declared their continued support for President Bola Tinubu, Lagos State Deputy Governor Obafemi Hamzat, Senator Idiat Adebule and Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Mudasiru Obasa.
They said leaving the APC should not be interpreted as abandoning the political leadership or broader political project associated with those individuals.
“Indeed, we are currently working for the success of the Tinubu/Hamzat political project in Agege despite having left the APC,” they said.
According to them, their exit from the APC had not changed their political relationships, principles or support for their preferred candidates.
“We left a party; we did not abandon our principles, our relationships or the people we believe in,” they said.
Egunjobi and Yusuf urged their supporters to remain calm and focused as they pursue their political aspirations under the APM platform.
They added that their attention would remain on Agege, the welfare of their constituents and the development of Lagos State.
“Our message is simple: we resigned, we moved on, and we remain focused on the political future ahead,” they said.