Several opposition political parties in Lagos have called for the cancellation of the recently conducted local government elections, citing what they described as massive irregularities and a blatant assault on democratic principles.
The call was made during a joint press conference in Lagos on Tuesday by leaders of the Labour Party (LP), Young Progressives Party (YPP), African Action Congress (AAC), Action People’s Congress (APP), and Accord Party.
The parties accused the Lagos State Independent Electoral Commission (LASIEC) of presiding over a sham exercise that undermined the will of the electorate and excluded many opposition candidates.
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LP State Chairperson, Pastor Dayo Ekong, through her deputy Mr. Olasupo Ajayi, condemned the process as deliberately flawed, branding it a calculated and state-backed subversion of democracy.
“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 also accused LASIEC of disenfranchising voters and candidates alike, and raised alarm over missing election materials in several polling units.
“We witnessed and documented widespread irregularities orchestrated by LASIEC. We utterly reject the fraudulent results declared by LASIEC in the affected LGAs… Our resolve is unwavering. We are compiling exhaustive evidence of these atrocities… The Labour Party will not allow this daylight robbery to stand unchallenged,” she added.
Also speaking at the briefing, Mr. Olusegun Mobolaji of the YPP described the electoral process as fundamentally defective. According to him, LASIEC’s procedures barred more than 100 candidates from participating due to what he termed bureaucratic inflexibility.
Mobolaji, who formerly served as Lagos IPAC Chairman, disclosed that logos of some contesting parties — including YPP, APP, and LP — were omitted from ballots in certain areas. He highlighted several critical breaches of electoral conduct, such as ballot box theft, relocation of polling stations without public notice, and manipulation during collation.
“The process that led to this poll was full of irregularities and anomalies; even the timetable was contradictory, tedious, choky and unbearable for opposition parties,” he said.
He further alleged that several candidates paid official fees for nomination forms — N150,000 for chairmanship, N25,000 for vice-chairmanship, and N50,000 for councillorship — yet were denied participation without refunds.
Mobolaji lamented the authorities’ failure to respond to multiple appeals and petitions submitted to LASIEC, the Governor, the State Assembly, and law enforcement agencies.
“Out of over 3,000 tags we were supposed to get, we were given only 310… When we complained, LASIEC said we should go and do photocopies Friday night,” he said.
He questioned why LASIEC excluded logos of political parties when only 15 parties were on the ballot, describing the election as “an orchestrated travesty.”
Mrs. Abiola Adeyemi, the APP State Chairperson and current IPAC Secretary, claimed she narrowly escaped physical assault by alleged APC loyalists in Badagry after protesting the removal of APP’s logo from the ballot.
Backing her account, Mr. Dele Oladeji, State Chairman of Accord Party, said that opposition parties were effectively contesting against LASIEC rather than each other, owing to the commission’s alleged bias.
“LASIEC acted as election players, not as umpire. We actually contested against LASIEC. It was a systematic rigging orchestrated prior to the election day,” Oladeji said.
He accused LASIEC of conducting the election in secrecy by denying stakeholders access to sensitive materials before the polls and releasing results without transparency.
“We know LASIEC will not listen to our appeal and we have decided to approach the tribunal and court where applicable,” he concluded.
Meanwhile, the All Progressives Congress (APC) was declared the winner of all 57 chairmanship positions and secured 375 out of 376 councillorship seats, according to results announced by LASIEC.
In a response issued Sunday, APC’s State Publicity Secretary, Mr. Seye Oladejo, expressed gratitude to voters, stating that the outcomes were reflective of the people’s will.
