Nigeria: INEC Officials Absent At Surulere Constituency 11 APC Primaries

16 May 2026

Officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) were absent from the Surulere Constituency 11 House of Representatives primary election held on Saturday.

A former Coker-Aguda Local Government Chairman, Quodir Onikeku, who is also a former House of Representatives aspirant, disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos.

He expressed disappointment over the All Progressives Congress (APC) primary election conducted across six centres within Surulere Constituency 11.

Keep up with the latest headlines on WhatsApp | LinkedIn

There are six wards under Surulere Constituency 11. They are Coker, Aguda, Orile, Itire, Ijesha, and Ikate.

"What happened in the six wards under Surulere Constituency 11 shows a lacuna in our party.

"There was no accreditation. The officials supposed to conduct accreditation and voting were absent, and nothing of such took place here today," he said.

"For someone like us, we understand the game very well, and we also know that the party has mechanisms to arrange something like this.

What we are doing today is to show that some of us still have integrity, and we believe that in no time, this country will move forward," Onikeku said.

He added that it was clear residents of Surulere Constituency were not supporting Lanre Okunola due to alleged neglect and the absence of constituency projects during his two terms in the House of Representatives.

Onikeku said Okunola only visited his constituency on Thursday, May 14, for campaign and mobilisation ahead of a second term bid.

He expressed concern about the 2027 general elections and appealed to APC leaders to address the issues before the forthcoming national polls.

NAN reports that the Surulere Constituency 11 House of Representatives APC primary was contested between Lanre Okunola and Aremu Olalekan Abdul-lateef.

NAN also reports that over 500 people turned out for the election, but no accreditation took place.

An APC official and party elder entered the selected premises within the wards and counted delegates randomly. The venues were surrounded by armed security personnel.

AllAfrica publishes around 600 reports a day from more than 90 news organizations and over 500 other institutions and individuals, representing a diversity of positions on every topic. We publish news and views ranging from vigorous opponents of governments to government publications and spokespersons. Publishers named above each report are responsible for their own content, which AllAfrica does not have the legal right to edit or correct.

Articles and commentaries that identify allAfrica.com as the publisher are produced or commissioned by AllAfrica. To address comments or complaints, please Contact us.