Several opposition political parties in Lagos State have called for the immediate cancellation of last Saturday’s Local Government elections, accusing the Lagos State Independent Electoral Commission (LASIEC) of conducting a fraudulent and biased exercise.
At a joint press briefing in Lagos on Tuesday, the Labour Party (LP), Young Progressives Party (YPP), African Action Congress (AAC), Action People’s Congress (APP), and Accord Party said the election was marred by serious irregularities, voter suppression, and deliberate exclusion of opposition candidates.
Pastor Dayo Ekong, State Chairman of the Labour Party, whose statement was read by her deputy, Mr. Olasupo Ajayi, described the election as a “state-sponsored rape of democracy.”
“This was not an election, but a planned charade. We witnessed ballot box snatching, missing party logos, and deliberate sabotage by LASIEC officials. We reject the results and are gathering evidence to challenge this fraud in court,” Ekong said.
She also highlighted the absence of basic voting materials in many polling units, such as ballot papers and boxes.
Mr. Olusegun Mobolaji of the YPP, a former Chairman of the Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC), said over 100 opposition candidates were disenfranchised. He added that LASIEC refused to return nomination fees paid by affected candidates.
Mobolaji also accused LASIEC of printing incomplete agent tags and failing to release them until the eve of the election, forcing parties to make photocopies overnight.
“The entire process was flawed from start to finish. Our party logo was missing in some areas, and voting was not held in many units. We were made to contest against LASIEC, not other parties,” he said.
Mrs. Abiola Adeyemi, APP State Chairperson and IPAC Secretary, said she narrowly escaped an attack by political thugs in Badagry after she raised concerns over the missing APP logo on the ballot paper.
Accord Party Chairman, Mr. Dele Oladeji, said LASIEC acted more like a political player than an impartial electoral body. He said results were declared without public scrutiny or proper collation.
“We demand that LASIEC release the actual results and let the public verify them. Until then, we will seek redress at the election tribunal and in court,” Oladeji added.
According to LASIEC, the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) won all 57 chairmanship positions and 375 out of 376 councillorship seats in the election.
In a statement on Sunday, APC State Publicity Secretary Mr. Seye Oladejo said the outcome reflected the will of Lagos residents and thanked voters for their continued support.
However, the opposition insists the process lacked transparency and fairness and has vowed not to back down until justice is served.