A Lagos-based socio-cultural organisation, De Renaissance Patriots Foundation, has accused the Nigerian Senate of disregarding formal objections to the confirmation of some ambassadorial nominees allegedly linked to Lagos State.
In a press statement issued on Friday, December 19, 2025, the group said it had repeatedly petitioned President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Senate President Godswill Akpabio over the nomination of Femi Pedro and Lola Akande, whom it described as non-indigenes of Lagos State.
The organisation said it was reacting to reported remarks credited to Senate President Akpabio, suggesting that the confirmation of the nominees went ahead because the Senate did not receive any substantial objections.
Describing the claim as “insincere,” the Foundation insisted that its opposition to the nominations was clearly and publicly communicated through several channels, including radio programmes, open letters published in national newspapers, and a formal petition addressed directly to the Senate President.
“We categorically rejected Pedro and Akande as nominees to represent Lagos State, stressing that Lagos has its own indigenes who are constitutionally entitled to occupy such positions,” the statement said. “Other states such as Ogun, Osun, Oyo, Ondo and Ekiti have their own indigenes representing them. Lagos should not be different.”
De Renaissance Patriots Foundation, which said it is committed to protecting the political and cultural interests of Lagos indigenes, alleged that non-indigenes from other South-West states, working in collaboration with federal actors, have continued to marginalise Lagos natives in political appointments and access to opportunities within the state.
The group further claimed that the alleged marginalisation dates back to 1999, arguing that Lagos indigenes have been consistently excluded from determining their political leadership, including the emergence of governorship candidates.
“This is tyranny at work,” the statement said. “Our people are steadily losing their constitutional rights, while others who already have states of origin continue to dominate political entitlements in Lagos.”
The Foundation also expressed disappointment that the Senate, which it described as a body representing Nigeria’s diverse ethnic and cultural groups, failed to intervene to address what it termed an “unprecedented injustice” against Lagos indigenes.
The statement was signed by the Media Office of the De Renaissance Patriots Foundation.
