The Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Mudashiru Obasa, has distanced himself from the series of protests that followed the All Progressives Congress, APC, House of Assembly primaries in Lagos, warning individuals against using his name to promote demonstrations or political agitation.

Obasa also rejected attempts to associate him with the growing wave of protests that have trailed the release of candidates’ lists for the party’s legislative primaries, describing efforts to hold him responsible as unfair and misleading.

His reaction comes after APC members from several local government areas, including Badagry, Mushin, Amuwo-Odofin, Eti-Osa, Somolu, Ajeromi-Ifelodun and Oshodi-Isolo, staged a protest at the party’s secretariat on ACME Road in Ikeja on Tuesday, alleging irregularities in the conduct and outcome of the primaries.

The demonstration was the latest in a series of protests that have erupted across the state since the Lagos APC published the names of candidates said to have emerged from the primary elections.

Amid the controversy, messages circulated on WhatsApp alleging that Obasa had provided N2 billion to sponsor and coordinate the protests across different parts of the state.

Responding to the claims, the Speaker dismissed the allegations as false and unfounded, questioning the rationale behind linking him to the demonstrations.

“It is foolhardy, malicious, misleading and baseless for anybody to assume or imply that I will import or mobilise protesters from different local governments to the secretariat. To achieve what exactly?

“I am not a candidate in the disputed election, so why and how will I devote such an amount of money to organising protests?” he said.

Obasa further stressed that he remained committed to peace and unity within the APC, warning against attempts to drag his name into actions capable of creating division within the party.

“I am a peace-loving party man, and I abhor the use of my name and office for any form of illegality or to sow division within the party,” he added.

The Speaker reiterated his dedication to the stability and progress of the ruling party in Lagos, stating that his focus remains on promoting harmony and supporting the continued development of the state.

“My steadfast commitment remains the unity, peace, and progress of our great party and the people of Lagos State,” Obasa said.

The Presidency has lashed out at the Nigeria Democratic Congress, NDC, presidential candidate for the 2027 general elections, Peter Obi.

In a post on his verified X handle on Wednesday, Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, described Obi as a copy-and-paste politician who cannot compete with Tinubu.

Onanuga claimed that Obi has nothing to showcase as Anambra governor for eight years.

He said, in contrast with Tinubu as Lagos State governor, he left a rail and road masterplan as governor, which is still being executed to this day.

“Peter Obi has never shown original, authentic thinking. He is a copy-and-paste politician. Willie Obiano, his successor, said Obi failed spectacularly in providing security in the state.

“Nigeria deserves a leader who can see beyond the ken of the ordinary people, a leader who is a proven deep thinker and doer.

“Peter Obi is no match for President Bola Tinubu. They are not on the same level,” he said.

The Spiritual Director of Adoration Ministry Enugu, Nigeria, AMEN, Rev. Fr. Ejike Mbaka, has claimed that former president, Goodluck Jonathan, was defeated in the 2015 election because he failed to yield to advice.

Mbaka said he advised the former president to remove the then Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Attahiru Jega, but his advice was not taken seriously.

The cleric, who spoke in a viral video while clarifying his earlier statement that the insecurity ravaging the country has political undertone.

DAILY POST reports that the cleric had claimed that the security crisis was orchestrated by some unscrupulous politicians to remove President Bola Tinubu, as they did to Jonathan.

His comment, however, generated a backlash on social media with netizens linking Mbaka to why Jonathan lost his re-election bid in 2015.

However, in the new video, Mbaka claimed that Jonathan’s failure was due to his miscalculation, stating that the former president disobeyed the “advice of a man of God”.

“Forget about what they are saying on social media, former President Goodluck Jonathan was my friend; the case is different.

“Jonathan didn’t fail because I failed him; he decided to fail. I told him what to do to win the election, but he refused.

“He failed because he disobeyed the advice of a man of God. I told him to remove Jega, that Jega had already betrayed him but he refused to remove Jega”, he said.