The Chairman of Otto-Awori Local Council Development Area (LCDA) in Lagos State, Prince Musbau Ashafa, has passed away, deepening the sorrow within the All Progressives Congress (APC), which has now lost four council leaders in just one year.
Ashafa, a prominent figure in Lagos politics and a prince of the Ijanikin kingdom, died on Friday after battling an undisclosed illness for several months.
During his period of illness, he was rarely seen in public, and his duties were handled by his younger brother and Chief of Staff, Waliu Ashafa.
He was serving his second term as council chairman and had previously served as the APC chairman in Otto-Awori.
His political career dated back to 1997 under the regime of the late General Sanni Abacha, when he was elected chairman of the old Ojo Local Government during a zero-party election.
Since then, he had remained a strong political force in the Ojo area, eventually rising to become APC chairman and then council boss.
His death follows a string of similar losses within the APC. In November 2024, Oladotun Olakanle, chairman of Onigbongbo LCDA, passed away.
In March 2025, Bola Shobowale, chairman of Ayobo-Ipaja LCDA, also died after battling a prolonged illness that had kept her away from office for nearly a year.
In February, the former chairman of Ifako-Ijaiye Local Government, Toba Oke, also succumbed to a terminal illness he had been battling for years.
The repeated loss of key figures has left the party in a state of grief and concern.
