By Lekan Lawal
In a major political shakeup, Mayor Dele Oshinowo, the former Executive Chairman of Agboyi-Ketu LCDA, has clinched the All Progressives Congress (APC) ticket for the Kosofe Federal Constituency.
Oshinowo secured a resounding victory in the legislative primary election, effectively unseating the incumbent lawmaker, Hon. Kafilat Ogbara.
The Election Results Breakdown
The primary, which adopted a direct voting system allowing all accredited party members to cast their ballots, concluded with a stark margin between the candidates.
Returning Officer Gabriel Olusegun Dada officially declared the final figures:
- Mayor Dele Oshinowo: 18,614 votes
- Yetunde Arobieke: 7,389 votes
- Oluremi Odunsi: 5,726 votes
- Kafilat Ogbara (Incumbent): 5,150 votes
A total of 36,879 accredited party members participated in the exercise, with zero void ballots recorded. The final tally placed the incumbent at the bottom of the multi-way contest, marking a swift fall from grace.
Political analysts and local APC stakeholders attribute Ogbara’s massive defeat to a mix of tactical errors, severed internal relationships, and changing grassroots dynamics:
1. Self-Aggrandising Posturing Over Substance
Throughout her tenure, Ogbara was frequently criticised by party faithful for prioritizing personal optics and high-profile social appearances over meaningful community engagement. Local critics noted that her public communications heavily favored personal image management, which ultimately alienated a base looking for practical dividends of democracy.
2. Deep Disconnect From the Grassroots
The adoption of a direct primary election format proved fatal for Ogbara’s reelection campaign. While she focused much of her energy on elite political circles, Oshinowo engaged in extensive grassroots mobilization, leveraging a strong reputation built on localized infrastructure, housing initiatives, and ICT empowerment hubs. When regular party members were given direct power to choose their representative, they overwhelmingly rejected Ogbara’s detached style in favor of Oshinowo’s accessible, community-first leadership.
3. Disregard for Internal Party Leadership
In Lagos APC structures, respect for internal party hierarchy, elders, and local power brokers is a baseline prerequisite for political survival. Local insiders report that Ogbara consistently bypassed established party leadership channels within Kosofe. By fracturing relationships with the internal party machinery that originally helped her win the ticket in 2022, she was left without an institutional safety net when the Oshinowo launched his campaign.
A Shifting Political Landscape
The final declaration sparked widespread celebrations among party loyalists across Ketu, Oworonshoki, and Agboyi-Ketu. By commanding more than 50% of the total votes cast in a crowded field, Oshinowo steps forward as the unified face of the APC for Kosofe ahead of the upcoming general elections.