Mandate Movement Crisis Deepens as Ward Coordinators Affirm Legitimacy of Hon. Babatunde Hunpe's Endorsement

By Dansu Peter The crisis within the Mandate Movement, a faction of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Badagry Local Government, has in...

By Dansu Peter

The crisis within the Mandate Movement, a faction of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Badagry Local Government, has intensified. Ward coordinators have strongly countered claims made by the group's chairman, Chief Akindele Todeji Ogunlana, asserting that Hon. Babatunde Hunpe was duly endorsed through a legitimate internal election.

In a swift response to Ogunlana’s statement dismissing the endorsement, the ward coordinators and LGA executives of TMM accused him of attempting to mislead the public and derail a process he had actively supervised. According to a rejoinder issued by Hon. Senidonu Pot-Balogun on behalf of the ward coordinators, Chief Ogunlana was not only present at the selection process but had also initiated it.

The rejoinder detailed that Ogunlana had earlier communicated a directive from TMM’s state leadership mandating the streamlining of aspirants across the 57 LGs/LCDAs to one candidate per council area. The group alleged that Ogunlana met with key political figures, including the Council Chairman, Mr. Onilude Olusegun, and the APC Apex Leader in Badagry, Chief M. Z. Ogunbiyi, to ensure compliance with the directive.

Further reinforcing their argument, the ward coordinators claimed that Chief Ogunlana was an active participant in a crucial meeting held on March 16, 2025, where it was unanimously agreed that an internal election be conducted among Mandate Movement ward coordinators and LGA executives. They stated that it was Ogunlana himself who suggested that the election take place the following day, March 17.

“The election was conducted transparently, and Hon. Babatunde Hunpe emerged as the consensus aspirant. It is, therefore, surprising that Chief Ogunlana, who was deeply involved in the process, is now attempting to discredit it,” the statement read.

The rejoinder further accused Ogunlana of taking a “sudden U-turn” in a manner reminiscent of the June 12 election annulment, suggesting that his reversal was driven by personal interests. They also questioned his ability to lead impartially, noting that he could not serve as both the Mandate Movement’s Coordinator and a chairmanship aspirant simultaneously.

“A leader cannot be a judge in his own case,” the statement emphasized, calling on TMM members to reject any attempts to subvert the democratic process.

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While reaffirming that Hon. Hunpe was duly endorsed, the group clarified that the decision did not automatically make him the APC candidate but positioned him as the Mandate Movement’s consensus choice for the upcoming party primaries.

The political landscape in Badagry remains tense as stakeholders await the APC’s final decision on the chairmanship race.