A primary election was held among NYM members to select a candidate to contest the seat, in which Samuel Akisanya collated the most votes, with Ikoli in second place.
Although Akisanya immediately congratulated him, he later reneged and contested the seat as an independent candidate with the support of his primary backer, Nnamdi Azikiwe, although he lost to Ikoli.
[7] In 1951, Ikoli, along with Awolowo and their allies formed the Action Group, which was dedicated to promoting Yoruba interests in the wake of Nigerian Independence.
This publication had a moderate leftist bent, which proved unpopular for Western readers, and distracted from the nationalistic message that he was trying to pursue.
His vast print media career and political acumen helped transform Nigeria from a British colony, into an independent state.