UNILAG Estate residents protest alleged power grab, ask Ikosi-Isheri LCDA to intervene again

Several members of the University of Lagos Magodo Residents Association (UMRA) on Saturday expressed their displeasure at the leadership of Wole Sowole, whom they said forced himself on them and removed their legally elected chairman, Adebayo Ali.

The residents, led by Vanguard for Justice and Peace (VJP), a body comprising landlord and tenant-residents of the UMRA, carried placards indicating that the re-election of Ali on November 30, 2024, was stolen from them. They also called on the Ikosi-Isheri LCDA, which has a constitutional right to mediate the crisis, to again come to their rescue after the initial intervention failed.

Prof Kayode Oguntuashe addressed the press on the crisis plaguing UNILAG Estate, Magodo. He was flanked by Prof Claudius Awosope, Emeritus Prof Olukayode Amund, Mr Daniel Omotilewa Esq, among others.

A press release signed by several members of the VJP said: “We have come together to reinstate the reign of constitutional democracy and rule of Law, which was truncated recently through the unbridled, naked, and power-drunk recklessness of the Electoral Committee (EC) in the misconduct of the November 30, 2024 General Elections. This sham of an election was designed to force a clique of questionable people on the residents.

“Although the EC and the clique enjoy the support of some elders who have been deeply entrenched in the political fabric of our Estate for decades and have become Godfathers, they are in the minority.  Here are the facts:

“The electorate elected an Executive Committee (Exco) in 2022 led by Chairman Adebayo Ali. Their performance was exemplary in that they improved on the security apparatus by resuscitating the CCTV system, erected solar-powered streetlights, installed electronic gates and significantly reducing debts owed by residents. The preceding Exco to Ali’s was mired in allegations of corruption especially over the award of the CCTV contract to a friend of the former chairman. The Alhaji Ali Exco wanted to run for a second term but suddenly some members of his high-performing team broke rank and chose a leader for themselves in the person of Alhaji Wole Sowole.

“The electioneering campaign was hot with brickbats thrown from both camps. The lack of experience of the arbiter, that is, the Electoral Committee, began to show in the way they handled issues arising at this phase of the election. Some allegations were investigated while others went ignored. Some residents canvassed for screening of candidates and presentation of manifestos, some were against. Rules guiding conduct of contestants were put out on social media by the EC. Consequences of breaches, some of which were dire, were also displayed on social media without the concurrence of the General House.

“If the EC was bereft of experience only, that would have been tolerable, but putative partisanship was already rearing its head. This came to the fore on the ‘D’ Day, 30 November 2024 when General elections were held.

“179 voters were accredited to vote. Then followed casting of votes. These two processes were hitch-free.

“Counting of votes commenced. Votes cast for executive positions other than chairmanship were first counted and announced. However, for the chairmanship, the votes of Alhaji Sowole were counted and announced to be 81. Votes cast for Alhaji Ali were not counted as Barrister Omotola Rotimi, the EC chairman, seized the votes, saying they had received a petition claiming that Ali campaigned in his Address to the AGM. Subsequently, the EC disqualified Alhaji Ali AFTER the electorate had voted for him, and the votes cast for other contestants had been counted. THIS IS THE CAUSE OF THE CRISIS.

“The injustice visited on the electorate by the disqualification of Ali and the annulment of the votes cast for him amounts to a flagrant violation of our rights and an IMPOSITION of a minority over a majority. This cannot and should not be allowed to stand. This was the circumstance that birthed the VJP which wrote a petition, which is attached, and forwarded it to the Conflict Resolution Committee, a standing body of the Constitution of UMRA. This body was unable to function because it claimed that out of the 7 members specified by the constitution, only 5 were on ground! It then suggested that the Elders Forum (EF) be contacted to handle the petition. Vanguard for Justice and Peace then redirected its petition to the EF which foot-dragged deliberately from December 20, 2024, to January 15, 2025, when we were forced to approach Ikosi-Isheri LCDA for an amicable resolution.

“The composition of the EF is a matter of extreme interest, comprising former Chairmen and Secretaries of UMRA and 4 others, nominated by the Executive Committee. One of them is a former chairman censured in the CCTV scandal. Another is the current General Secretary whose husband is a member of the EC and superintended the election of his wife into office. Yet, another is a Nonagenarian who swore publicly that ‘Ali must go’ because he installed him as chairman, but Ali didn’t listen to him any longer.

“Now, those who benefited from the stolen election are claiming that the LCDA has no jurisdiction over UMRA. They may be right, but it is noteworthy that they wrote to the same LCDA on Jan 7, 2025, to introduce themselves as the ‘newly elected UMRA Exco’ one whole week before Vanguard sent its petition to the same body and without the courtesy of being introduced by the former Chairman.

“It is also very important to know that those who are beneficiaries of the stolen election have taken ‘dirty, criminal steps’ to steal their way into the accounts of the Estate at First Bank, Ojodu branch. In this nefarious act, carried out in Jan 2025, they connived and went along with a former Vice-chairman who had resigned his position since November 30, 2024, to change the signatories to the account at the bank.

“This singular action reveals the character of the motley group clamouring to force its way into power in our dear Estate. Evidence is attached herewith.

“We believe that Ikosi-Isheri LCDA has a constitutional right to mediate the crisis. It has taken the right approach to Justice and Peace by cancelling the sham elections and directing that the accounts of the Estate should not be debited as from February 10, 2025.

“The Chairman of Ikosi- Isheri LCDA (Princess Samiat Abolanle Bada) called 3 meetings to broker peace all to no avail. They boycotted the third meeting claiming she was biased and asked her to attend our monthly meeting of March. She did. Attendance of members was very high and stood at 73 which was the highest at a monthly meeting in the history of the Estate. This was an indication that many members wanted a resolution to the crisis. At this crucial meeting majority of members voted for a fresh election into all the offices of the Executive Committee.”

Oguntuashe told Vanguard that residents picked March 29 for the conduct of fresh election but the Sowole group ensured the election was not held by, among other acts, locking the estate office to prevent LCDA staff from distributing election materials.

He said the Commissioner of Police in Lagos and the Director of the Department of State Services (DSS), Lagos, held a meeting with the conflicting parties in April to resolve the crisis but “when we were at the brink of a breakthrough, the Sowole group though small in number walked out.”

“Nonetheless, the larger majority remained at the meeting and elected a 7-person committee to replace the 5-person committee instituted in March to run the affairs of the estate pending the time elections would be conducted,” he added.

Oguntuashe noted that the seven-man committee has not been able to function as the Sowole group had somehow gained access to the estate’s funds despite the reported fraudulent change of signatories of January 23, 2025.

He lamented that the Sowole group has been holding online monthly meetings in violation of the constitution of UMRA. According to him, minutes of the August 30 meeting indicate that they have set up committees to review the constitution so they can, among other things, legitimise the online meetings and the decisions taken there.

He said they have also requested UNILAG authorities, which hold the rights to the estate’s Community Centre in trust, to cede the centre and the lands on which it is built to them. Oguntuashe also lamented that on October 1, the Sowole group terminated the contract of the security contractor and brought in new faces. He alleged that at the same online meeting they agreed to invest N58 million out of the estate’s funds in the money market.

He said the Sowole group also proposed to picket residents who have withheld payment of monthly dues in protest.

“We hereby once again call on the leadership of Ikosi-Isheri LCDA (the agency of Government that is responsible for the smooth running of CDAs) to step in a second time and discharge its responsibilities towards the citizens in their domain. The resolution of this crisis is simple. Conduct a fresh election that is credible, inclusive, free and fair. This will give us a golden opportunity to cleanse our house, by electing into office men and women who are committed, not to the personal interests of some godfathers but the overall interests of members of UMRA. Thereafter, we would commission a comprehensive review of our constitution and re-organise the electioneering machinery of the Estate,” Oguntuashe said.

Ali, whose election was annulled, told Vanguard that for the past 23 years no executive council had done what his team did. He added that his adversaries were envious of his records which included the installation of an electronic gate system, revitalisation of the moribund CCTV surveillance system and installation of stand-alone solar street lights among others.

Eighty-three-year-old Princess Grace Iyiola Alonge said the residents are “sad” to have encountered Sowole, calling on the authorities to come to their rescue.

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