KINGSLEY EBERE
Ndigbo have dumped Hon. Okey-Joe Onuakalusi and adopted Hon. Monsuru Oloyede Bello, popularly known as Obe, as their candidate for House of Representatives, Oshodi/Isolo Constituency 2 ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The major political realignment was made public through an official invitation by Ndigbo in APC, Ejigbo LCDA, in conjunction with Igbo Community in Ejigbo, APC, for the formal presentation of Hon. Monsuru Oloyede Bello (Obe).
The presentation ceremony is scheduled to hold on Sunday, 1st November, 2026, by 12 noon at Nnokwa Hall, NNPC Bus Stop, Ejigbo, Lagos.
According to the organisers, the event is powered by Ndigbo in APC Ejigbo LCDA and will be chaired by Chief Odinaka Iwu, who is also serving as Director for Obe Campaign on Ethnic Communities.
The development is being described in Ejigbo political circles as a big betrayal and a major blow to Hon. Okey-Joe Onuakalusi, who is the incumbent House of Representatives member.
Recall that Hon. Okey-Joe Onuakalusi won the last election on the platform of Labour Party with massive support from Ndigbo in Ejigbo, Oshodi and Isolo. During the Labour Party tsunami in Lagos, Igbo traders, market women, artisans and youths in Ejigbo, Ladipo and surrounding markets abandoned their former parties, mobilized resources, and voted massively for him because he was seen as their own and as a voice for Ndigbo in Lagos.
That support has now evaporated.
Sources within Ndigbo in APC said the decision to dump Hon. Onuakalusi, who is now under National Democratic Coalition (NDC), was reached after extensive consultations among Igbo leaders, market leaders and APC stakeholders in Ejigbo LCDA.
The invitation flyer for the event captures the new message: “Come, let us reason together. Vote for: 1. People and Progress First, 2. Your welfare is Obe’s priority, 3. Progress wey touch ground, 4. Grassroots welfare and delivery.”
Hon. Monsuru Oloyede Bello (Obe) is a grassroots mobilizer with deep roots in Oshodi/Isolo. He is known in Ejigbo for his accessibility, his support for community projects and his ability to connect with both Yoruba and Igbo residents.
For many Igbo leaders in Ejigbo, backing Obe is a strategic decision to align with the ruling party and protect Igbo business interests in Lagos.
“Politics is about interest and protection. When Hon. Okey-Joe Onuakalusi was in Labour Party, we followed him because Labour Party was the party Ndigbo supported in Lagos at that time. Today, the reality has changed. We have returned to APC to secure our businesses and our future. We need a candidate who can give us inclusive representation in APC. That candidate is Hon. Monsuru Oloyede Bello (Obe),” a chieftain of Igbo Community in Ejigbo who is part of the planning committee told P.M. EXPRESS.
For Hon. Okey-Joe Onuakalusi, the loss of the Igbo voting bloc that made him is a dangerous signal ahead of 2027. Without the massive Igbo votes that gave him victory under Labour Party, his re-election bid under NDC will be an uphill task against a well-organized APC structure.
Political analysts in Oshodi/Isolo say the Igbo vote is decisive in Constituency 2. Any candidate who gets the endorsement of Ndigbo in APC Ejigbo and Igbo Community in Ejigbo has already won more than half of the battle.
The November 1 presentation at Nneokwa Hall is therefore expected to be more than a mere invitation. It will be a show of force and a public declaration that Ndigbo in Ejigbo has moved on from Hon. Okey-Joe Onuakalusi to Hon. Obe.
Hundreds of Igbo traders, market leaders, youth groups and APC chieftains from Oshodi/Isolo are expected to attend the event to formally endorse Hon. Bello.
As the 2027 race gathers momentum, one question dominates discussions in Ejigbo: Will the same Igbo votes that massively lifted Hon. Okey-Joe Onuakalusi under Labour Party now be the votes that bury his second term ambition?
More details about Hon. Bello’s agenda for Oshodi/Isolo Constituency 2 are expected to be unveiled at the presentation ceremony.