Expulsion: We Resigned Since July, Egunjobi, Yusuf Tell APC

Chief Ganiyu Kola Egunjobi and Barrister Azeez Yusuf have reacted to their purported expulsion from the All Progressives Congress (APC) by the Lagos State chapter, saying they resigned their membership in July, weeks before the announcement.

The duo, in a statement issued on Wednesday, described the expulsion as belated and unnecessary, insisting that they had already communicated their resignation, defected to the Allied Peoples Movement (APM) and moved on politically before the APC’s September 23 announcement.

Egunjobi and Yusuf said their resignation and subsequent defection had been publicly reported by several newspapers, questioning the basis for the party’s decision to expel them after they had already left its fold.

“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.

They added: “The question, therefore, is simple: How can a party expel people who had already resigned from its membership?
“The latest announcement does not change our political status. We had already left.”

The two politicians, however, said their departure from the APC was the culmination of unresolved grievances arising from the party’s primary elections, alleging that they won the primaries in their respective constituencies but were subsequently denied the opportunity to contest.

According to them, they made several attempts to resolve the matter internally before deciding to leave the party.

They said they submitted petitions, made representations and held press conferences while repeatedly seeking the intervention of the APC leadership.

The former APC members said they took those steps because they believed the issues could still be resolved within the party.

“Unfortunately, our concerns were not meaningfully addressed,” they said, alleging that there was no genuine engagement, satisfactory resolution or meaningful effort to restore their confidence in the process.

They said they eventually concluded that they had exhausted the available avenues within the party and therefore made what they described as a legitimate political decision to leave the APC.

Egunjobi and Yusuf further alleged that the September 23 expulsion announcement appeared to be an attempt to alter the circumstances surrounding their departure.

They said the development raised questions about internal party processes, due process and the right of party members to leave a political organisation.

The duo described the action as a “disturbing manifestation of political impunity”, alleging that it sought to create the impression that their exit from the APC was imposed on them rather than being a decision they had already taken.

They, however, said they would not be deterred by the development, maintaining that they had no regret about their decision to leave the party.

The politicians also defended their decision to defect to the APM, arguing that movement between political parties was a familiar feature of Nigerian politics.

They cited the political trajectories of several politicians, including Senator Musiliu Obanikoro, Dr Wale Ahmed, Hon. Yinka Ogundimu, Hon. Jubril AbdulKareem and Sola Osolana, as examples of individuals who had operated on different political platforms at various times.

They argued that if politicians could move between parties at different periods of their political careers, their own decision to leave the APC should not be treated differently.

“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 decision was based on their political circumstances and unresolved grievances within the APC, rather than hostility towards the party’s political leaders or candidates.

The former APC members also sought to draw a distinction between their departure from the party and their continued political support for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu; the 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 remained committed to the political interests of the four leaders despite their decision to leave the APC.

“Despite everything that has happened, we remain firmly committed to the candidacies of our principal, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu; Dr Obafemi Hamzat; Senator Idiat Adebule; and Rt. Hon. Mudasiru Obasa,” they said.

They further disclosed that they were currently working for the success of the Tinubu/Hamzat political project in Agege despite having left the APC.

According to them, their continued support for the political figures demonstrated that their decision was not motivated by a desire to abandon their political allies or the broader political project they support.

“We left a party; we did not abandon our principles, our relationships or the people we believe in,” they said.

They 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.

The duo said party membership should not be treated as permanent and that disagreements with party leadership should not be regarded as political betrayal.

“We have chosen the APM platform to pursue our political aspirations, and we stand by that decision,” they said.

Egunjobi and Yusuf said they remained focused on Agege, the welfare of their constituents and the development of Lagos State, while urging their supporters to remain calm and disciplined.

“Our message is simple: we resigned, we moved on, and we remain focused on the political future ahead,” they said.