A coalition of opposition political parties in Lagos State has outrightly rejected the outcome of the recently concluded Local Government Elections held on Saturday, describing the process as a “charade” and “daylight robbery”.
At a joint press conference on Tuesday, leaders of five political parties — the Labour Party (LP), Young Progressives Party (YPP), African Action Congress (AAC), Action People’s Party (APP), and the Accord Party — condemned the conduct of the polls by the Lagos State Independent Electoral Commission (LASIEC) and demanded the immediate cancellation of the announced results.
The LP State Chairman, Pastor Dayo Ekong, in a statement read by her deputy, Mr Olasupo Ajayi, described the election as “a systematic, state-sponsored rape of democracy”. She accused LASIEC of orchestrating widespread irregularities to favour the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
“The just-concluded Local Government elections were not an exercise in democratic choice; they were a premeditated, meticulously executed charade designed solely to impose the ruling party’s will upon the people of Lagos,” Ekong stated.
She further alleged that critical voting materials — including ballot papers, result sheets, and even ballot boxes — were absent in numerous local government areas, leading to the disenfranchisement of voters and candidates.
The YPP representative, Mr Olusegun Mobolaji, decried the omission of political party logos, including those of the YPP, LP and APP, from ballot papers in several LGAs. He also lamented that over 100 opposition candidates were sidelined due to what he termed LASIEC’s “deliberate rigidity”.
“The process leading to the election was deeply flawed. The timetable was confusing, and opposition parties were unfairly treated. Some parties received nomination forms just two days before the election. How can we call that a credible process?” Mobolaji queried.
He added that last-minute agent accreditation created further chaos. “Out of over 3,000 agent tags we requested, we received only 310. When we complained, LASIEC shamelessly told us to make photocopies overnight,” he said.
Mrs Abiola Adeyemi, Chairperson of the APP and Secretary of the Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC), said she narrowly escaped physical assault in Badagry after questioning the removal of her party’s logo from ballots.
Accord Party’s State Chairman, Mr Dele Oladeji, also claimed the election was manipulated to ensure APC’s dominance, saying political parties effectively “contested against LASIEC, not one another”.
“We were not given access to the ballot papers beforehand, and LASIEC declared winners without publicly presenting results. This election lacked transparency and fairness,” Oladeji said, announcing the parties’ decision to seek redress at election tribunals and courts.
Meanwhile, LASIEC announced that the APC swept all 57 chairmanship seats and secured 375 out of the 376 councillorship positions across the state.
Reacting to the victory on Sunday, APC’s State Publicity Secretary, Mr Seye Oladejo, thanked voters and described the results as a reflection of the people’s will.
However, opposition parties have vowed not to let the results stand unchallenged. “We will explore all legal and constitutional avenues to seek justice. The will of the people must not be trampled upon,” Ekong said.
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