AbdulGaniyu Obasa, son of the Lagos State House of Assembly Speaker, Mudashiru Obasa, has received a major boost in his bid for the chairmanship of Agege Local Government as a youth group purchased his party nomination form worth N5 million.
The support came from the Agege Youth Vanguard, whose coordinator, Ismael Garba, announced the move during a press conference held on Thursday in Agege, Lagos. The gesture, according to Garba, is a show of belief in the younger Obasa’s capacity to lead and bring development to the community.
Garba said the group decided to fund the All Progressives Congress (APC) nomination form with contributions pooled from members. He explained that their motivation was rooted in the need for quality leadership at the grassroots level, not personal benefits.
“Our interest is not about personal gain or to make Agege any political leader’s private fiefdom as may be insinuated in some quarters. We will all agree that the change we desire in Nigeria can only be achieved when the country is in good hands; and key to the development of a nation is its grassroots management,” Garba said.
He noted that seven councillorship aspirants from different wards in the local government would also receive free nomination forms to join Obasa’s team. Garba said the group is working closely with other community stakeholders to ensure a credible candidate emerges in the upcoming election.
He pointed to AbdulGaniyu Obasa’s academic and professional background as proof of his capability. Obasa holds a Bachelor’s degree in Accounting and Finance from the University of Hertfordshire, a Master’s degree from Aston University, and is currently pursuing a PhD at Babcock University. His work history includes roles at PriceWaterhouseCoopers, Providus Bank, and Parallex Bank, where he served as Head of Performance Management and Strategy.
Garba dismissed talks that Obasa’s emergence is solely due to his father’s influence, insisting the candidate has earned his place.
“That his father is the Speaker of the State House of Assembly should not deny the community of a competent leader,” he said.
The current chairman of Agege Local Government, Ganiyu Egunjobi, has also declared support for AbdulGaniyu, praising his readiness to lead. “The young politician has what it takes to take the council to the next level,” Egunjobi said.
Adding more weight to the support, the council’s Vice Chairman, Oluwagbemiga Abiola, stepped down from the race. Abiola, who also aspired for the top seat, said he was backing the Speaker’s son out of loyalty and respect for party decisions.
“I will never go against my leader, Mudashiru Ajayi Obasa. This is the man who made me,” Abiola said, recounting how the Speaker had supported his political journey from media aide to Sole Administrator and eventually Vice Chairman.
Though he had ambitions of his own, Abiola said he respects the party’s choice and fully supports AbdulGaniyu’s candidacy.
Garba also used the occasion to appreciate the outgoing chairman, saying, “We commend the outgoing Chairman of the Council, Alhaji Ganiyu Egunjobi, for making our local government better than he met it.”
The local government election is scheduled for July 12.
