The University of Lagos Magodo Residents Association (UMRA) in Ikosi-Isheri Local Council Development Area (LCDA) of Lagos State has staged a peaceful protest over electoral misconduct during the estate’s November 30, 2024, general elections, calling for the restoration of constitutional democracy and the rule of law.

The aggrieved protesters, under the aegis of the Vanguard for Justice and Peace (VJP), a coalition of landlords and tenants under the University of Lagos Magodo Residents Association (UMRA), marched to the estate gate in the early hours of Saturday, demanding a fresh election and urgent action from relevant authorities.

Some of the messages on the placards read: “Our general election was stolen,” “An illegitimate exco cannot collect dues,” “Save UNILAG Estate from tyranny,” “Sowole’s junta cannot collect dues,” “Virtual meetings not in UMRA’s constitution,” and “We need fresh election.”

The VJP said the action was necessary to “spotlight the power-drunk recklessness” of the electoral committee (EC) and seek immediate redress, stressing that 179 voters were accredited to vote, and the residents voted for the contestants of their choice during UMRA’s 2024 general elections. The votes of Alhaji Sowole were counted and announced to be 81.

However, the Electoral Committee Chairman, Barrister Omotola Rotimi, seized and annulled the votes of the incumbent Chairman, Alhaji Ali Adebayo Ibrahim, claiming to have received a petition that the incumbent campaigned in his welcome address.

The disqualification was announced after voting had been concluded and votes counted.

Speaking with The Guardian during a press briefing, VJP Coordinator, Professor Kayode Oguntuashe, said the group’s action aimed to draw public attention to the “subversion of due process and democratic principles” in the estate.

“What we are doing this morning is to bring to the attention of the Nigerian general public, the attention of the Chairman of Ikosi-Isheri LCDA, the Commissioner of Police, Lagos State, and the DSS in particular, that the man wey dem bury, the leg the stick out.

“On November 30, 2024, we held elections in this estate, something we’ve been doing for over 35 years, but the one held in November 2024 was a strange one because, for the first time, elections were rigged.

“There were two contestants for the post of chairmanship positions — an incumbent and a challenger — all perfectly legal. We voted for contestants of our choice, only for the electoral committee to annul the votes of the incumbent on flimsy grounds after votes had been cast.

During the time votes were being counted, the chairman of the electoral committee claimed to have received a petition that Alhaji Ali infringed one of the electoral rules,” Oguntuashe stated.

He added that VJP submitted a petition to the Conflict Resolution Committee, a statutory body under UMRA’s constitution, but the committee claimed it could not function due to insufficient members.

The matter was then referred to the Elders Forum (EF), which delayed action from December 2024 to January 2025, forcing the group to approach the Ikosi-Isheri LCDA Chairman for intervention. “We approached the Ikosi-Isheri LCDA Chairman for an amicable resolution,” he noted.

The Chairman of Ikosi-Isheri LCDA, Princess Samiat Abolanle Bada, called three meetings to broker peace, all to no avail. They boycotted the third meeting, claiming she was biased, and asked her to attend their monthly meeting for further resolution.

“On March 29, 2025, an agreement was reached to have a fresh election, but the Sowole committee rejected the idea.

“Attendance of members was very high and stood at 75, which was the highest at a monthly meeting in the history of the estate,” he stated.

He further explained that the LCDA, the Commissioner of Police, and the DSS held a meeting with the two parties to discuss how to end the crisis. Unfortunately, the Sowole group walked out of the meeting, and the election did not hold again.

The VJP also accused the Sowole committee of holding virtual meetings, stressing that UMRA’s constitution does not recognise online meetings, thereby describing them as an “illegal regime.” He also disclosed that Sowole had set up a committee to review and change the constitution of the estate without consulting residents.

“How can you impose a constitution on the people without their participation?” Oguntuashe queried.

He further claimed that the Sowole-led exco sought to negotiate with the University of Lagos (UNILAG) to transfer ownership of the community centre and other communal properties to themselves.

“We have some communally held properties here — places of worship, community centres — as allottees, and the University of Lagos is holding the rights on behalf of the people.

“They have their eyes on the community centre. They decided at an online meeting in August that they were going to discuss with the authorities of the University of Lagos (UNILAG), and they set up a committee so that UNILAG would cede the right to the community centre to them.

“We can take you on a tour of the community centre. The lands are vast; it is the land that they found attractive. Why will they ask the University of Lagos to give them the property that belongs to all of us?” he questioned.

VJP also raised concerns about the estate’s finances, noting that the Sowole committee placed ₦58 million meant for community welfare in a fixed deposit account.

Oguntuashe condemned the committee’s sudden dismissal of estate security personnel on Independence Day without notice,

questioning the decision to pay off the guards instead of increasing their ₦40,000 monthly salaries to match the new ₦70,000 national minimum wage.

“The money that they used in paying them off would have been used to upgrade the salaries of those young people. They pay them ₦40,000 monthly, in a country where the minimum wage is ₦70,000.

“Why don’t you raise their salaries so that you will increase productivity?”

He added that members of VJP had stopped paying monthly dues to what they described as an “illegitimate government,” accusing the committee of threatening to restrict their movement within the estate.

“Freedom of movement is guaranteed by the Nigerian Constitution. No one has the right to restrict our access to our own homes. That’s a recipe for conflict; it’s a recipe for a breach of peace,” he stated.

Prof. Oguntuashe urged the general public and the authorities to understand their plight in UNILAG Estate. He also pleaded with the Chairman of Ikosi-Isheri LCDA to conduct a fresh election that is credible, inclusive, free, and fair.

“This will give us an opportunity to elect into office men and women who are committed, not to the personal interests of godfathers, but to the overall interest of members of UMRA,” he stated.

A VJP stakeholder, Professor Claudius O. A. Awosope, corroborated the allegations, stressing that the Sowole-led committee’s handling of estate funds and governance was “undemocratic and questionable.”

Similarly, Princess Grace Iyiola Alonge, another resident, expressed dismay over the lingering crisis, calling for the restoration of peace, justice, and fairness in the estate.

The group also commended the achievements of Alhaji Ali Adebayo Ibrahim during his first tenure, including the installation of electronic gates, the revival of the CCTV surveillance system, and the deployment of solar-powered streetlights to enhance security.