Opposition Parties Reject APC’s Sweep of Lagos LG Elections, Allege Irregularities

Opposition parties in Lagos State have rejected the outcome of Saturday’s local government elections, where the All Progressives Congress (APC) reportedly won all 57 chairmanship positions and 375 out of 376 councillorship seats.

The Lagos State Independent Electoral Commission (LASIEC) announced the results on Sunday, declaring APC the winner across all 20 Local Government Areas and 37 Local Council Development Areas of the state.

In a rare upset, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) clinched a lone councillorship seat in Ward D, Yaba LCDA, through Babatunde Dosunmu, a former APC member who recently joined the PDP.

Reacting to the results, PDP’s Lagos Deputy Chairman, Tai Benedict, questioned the credibility of the figures, citing widespread voter apathy.

“I’m not surprised by the outcome. With the aggressive way the APC campaigned, it was clear they were desperate. But given the low turnout—we saw people playing football at polling units—the numbers they’re reporting just don’t add up,” Benedict said.

He also took a swipe at the Labour Party (LP), saying the results would help distinguish the PDP’s strength from that of the LP, which had previously claimed broader popularity.

Labour Party’s Lagos Secretary, Sam Okpala, dismissed the election entirely, stating, “There was no credible election on Saturday. What occurred was a sham, not worthy of being called a democratic process. Many polling units didn’t even see LASIEC officials.”

Okpala further accused the commission of mishandling the process and wasting public funds on what he termed “a travesty.”

Similarly, the African Action Congress (AAC) described the elections as deeply flawed and called for their cancellation. In a statement signed by its chairman, Ayoyinka Oni, the party said, “This so-called election was worse than a coup. It was rigged from the start. We demand an immediate annulment.”

Despite the criticism, APC’s Lagos Publicity Secretary, Seye Oladejo, praised the outcome, attributing the party’s landslide victory to the strong bond between the APC and Lagosians.

“Our clean sweep of the polls is a reflection of the people’s trust in our vision for grassroots development. We appreciate the commitment and hard work of our candidates and supporters,” Oladejo stated.