Lagos LG poll: LP, Others Reveal Reasons for Results Cancellation Demand
THECONSCIENCE NG reports that several opposition political parties in Lagos State have demanded the cancellation of last Saturday’s Local Government Elections, calling the exercise “undemocratic” and a case of “daylight robbery.”
At a joint press conference on Tuesday in Lagos, leaders of the Labour Party (LP), Young Progressives Party (YPP), African Action Congress (AAC), Action People’s Congress (APP), and Accord Party alleged that the elections, conducted by the Lagos State Independent Electoral Commission (LASIEC), were riddled with irregularities and systematically disenfranchised opposition candidates.
Pastor Dayo Ekong, Chairperson of the LP in Lagos, described the process as “a state-sponsored rape of democracy,” in a statement read by her deputy, Mr. Olasupo Ajayi.
“The just-concluded elections were not a democratic exercise but a premeditated charade designed to impose the ruling party’s will on the people of Lagos,” Ekong said. “We witnessed and documented widespread irregularities orchestrated by LASIEC.”
She accused LASIEC of deliberate sabotage, including the omission of opposition party logos from ballots and the unavailability of key election materials in several areas. Ekong held LASIEC Chairperson, Justice Bola Ighile, personally responsible for what she called a collapse of the commission’s credibility.
“Our resolve is unwavering,” she added. “We are gathering exhaustive evidence and will pursue every legal and constitutional means to challenge this electoral robbery.”
Speaking at the same event, Mr. Olusegun Mobolaji of the YPP said over 100 opposition candidates were disenfranchised due to LASIEC’s “rigid and flawed” processes. Mobolaji, a former chairman of the Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC) in Lagos, claimed ballot snatching, relocation of polling units, and clandestine collation of results characterized the election.
He also decried the omission of party logos — including those of the YPP, LP, and APP — in some local governments, adding that agents were given only a fraction of the required accreditation tags, just hours before the election.
“In many cases, voters arrived at polling units to find no officials or materials. In others, LASIEC’s voter lists had names and photos that didn’t match registered voters,” Mobolaji said.
Mrs. Abiola Adeyemi, APP State Chairperson and IPAC Secretary, said she narrowly escaped assault by alleged APC thugs in Badagry after protesting the omission of her party’s logo from the ballot papers.
Corroborating these claims, Mr. Dele Oladeji, Lagos State Chairman of Accord Party, said the opposition effectively “contested against LASIEC” rather than each other. He accused the commission of acting as a partisan player rather than a neutral electoral umpire.
“LASIEC did not give us access to the ballot papers before the election and declared winners without presenting actual results. We demand full disclosure of the results and intend to challenge the outcome in court,” Oladeji stated.
According to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) won all 57 chairmanship seats and 375 out of 376 councillorship seats in Saturday’s election.
Reacting to the results, APC’s State Publicity Secretary, Mr. Seye Oladejo, said the outcome reflected the will of Lagos residents and thanked voters for their support.
