As the former Secretary of the election planning committee of the Tokunbo Abiru Senatorial Campaign in 2020, I witnessed firsthand the concerning disconnect between the APC Lagos and the increasingly disenchanted youth population.
The campaign revealed troubling metrics: voter turnout was disappointingly low, particularly among young Lagosians, and our exit polling data painted a clear picture of a party losing its grip on key demographics that once formed its reliable base.
Our post-election analysis, which I commissioned from an independent organization, confirmed what many of us had suspected.
The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Lagos was haemorrhaging support among young voters and middle-income earners – precisely the groups that represent Lagos’ future.
Despite presenting these findings in a comprehensive report to a few party leaders, my concerns were largely dismissed, a response that only reinforces the problematic status quo.
The current leadership of the APC in Lagos, while accomplished in their own right, increasingly appears detached from the realities faced by younger Nigerians.
Today’s youth grapple with unprecedented challenges: staggering unemployment, housing crises, technological disruption, and global economic integration.
These issues demand fresh perspectives and innovative solutions that the older generation, shaped by different historical contexts, may struggle to provide.
The world has changed dramatically in the digital age. Political leadership requires understanding social media dynamics, appreciating startup ecosystems, and navigating complex global networks.
Young Lagosians live in this interconnected reality and deserve representatives who intuitively understand their experiences and aspirations.
One of the most troubling patterns within the party, sustained by the older generation, has been the persistent reliance on political leadership and appointments through imposition rather than merit-based selection.
This approach has systematically sidelined talented young individuals whose only “shortcoming” is their lack of entrenched connections within party hierarchies.
A younger leadership class would prioritise competence over patronage networks. They would recognise that in today’s competitive global environment, Lagos cannot afford to waste its human capital on outdated notions of political loyalty and patience for one’s “turn.”
Sadly, Internal party democracy has suffered under the current leadership paradigm.
Decision-making remains concentrated among a small circle of long-established figures, with minimal opportunities for meaningful input from emerging voices.
This democratic deficit not only alienates younger members but also stifles the ideological evolution necessary for any political movement to remain relevant.
A youthful leadership would inherently understand the value of inclusive processes, transparent governance, and collaborative decision-making – having been at the receiving end of weak internal democracy and transparency.
Perhaps most concerning is the empathy gap between the current leadership and young Nigerians.
The economic hardships, career frustrations, and diminished opportunities that characterise life for many young Lagosians seem abstract to leaders whose formative experiences occurred in different economic eras.
This empathy deficit manifests in policy decisions that fail to prioritize youth employment, affordable housing, educational reform, and digital infrastructure – the very issues that most directly impact young lives.
A leadership cohort that has personally experienced these challenges would bring authenticity and urgency to addressing them.
Consequently, I believe that it is time for our party, the APC, to muster the courage to embrace a younger and more dynamic leadership heading into the next election cycle.
The voting demographics have significantly shifted in favour of much younger voters who, as the polls continue to reveal, have no interest in supporting the current elderly leadership of the party.
The data from our 2020 post-election analysis was unequivocal. The APC in Lagos faces a legitimacy crisis among the demographics that represent its future.
Young voters and middle-income professionals increasingly view the party as an entrenched establishment disconnected from their lived experiences.
The path forward
The next election cycle looms as a potential referendum on the party’s willingness to evolve.
If the APC in Lagos continues to ignore these warning signs, it risks not just electoral setbacks but long-term irrelevance as young voters seek political homes that respect their voice and address their concerns.
The solution is not cosmetic inclusion – appointing a few young faces while maintaining the same power structures – but a fundamental shift in mindset that recognizes younger leadership as essential, not optional, to the party’s continued relevance.
The wisdom and experience of the older generation remain valuable assets that should be honoured – therefore the ideal scenario should involve mentorship and gradual transition rather than wholesale replacement.
However, this requires the current leadership to accept that change is not merely advisable but necessary.
As someone who has served the party loyally and observed its internal dynamics closely, I offer this critique not as an attack but as a necessary intervention.
The report I presented after the 2020 campaign outlined a pathway to renewal that would strengthen, not weaken, the APC in Lagos.
Some of those recommendations include instituting transparent talent identification mechanisms, creating substantive (not symbolic) leadership roles for young members, establishing policy task forces led by emerging leaders, and several others.
The question facing the party today is whether it will embrace this opportunity for rejuvenation or cling to familiar patterns until electoral realities force change upon it.
For the sake of both the party and the vibrant city it seeks to serve, I hope for the former. It is why I’m delighted to see that the party is making considerable efforts to woo younger members of the opposition like Jandor and I also hope that the party will do what it can to bring GRV into the fold.
It is also refreshing to see my brother Seyi Tinubu become more involved with party affairs as this is the energy and urgency required to salvage the future of our great party.
•Ashafa writes from Lagos
