Lagos LG polls: LP kicks, says outcome a mockery of democracy

The National Caretaker Committee (NCC) of the Labour Party (LP) on Monday protested the outcome of Saturday’s local council elections in Lagos State, describing the exercise as a “mockery of elections.”

According to results declared by the Lagos State Independent Electoral Commission (LASIEC), the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) won all 57 council chairmanship seats and secured 375 out of 376 councillorship positions contested by various political parties.

Reacting to the development, the NCC, led by Senator Nenadi Usman, said the outcome was “a clear red flag — a troubling pointer to what the 2027 general elections may look like if this pattern is not disrupted.”

Senator Usman’s spokesman, Mr Ken Asogwa, stated that the outcome might not have reflected the true wishes of voters in Lagos State.

“The farce that played out in Lagos State on Saturday, 12th July 2025, under the guise of local government elections, has once again exposed the All Progressives Congress (APC) as a party allergic to democratic principles and due process.

“The brazen self-allocation of all 57 council chairmanship seats and 375 out of 376 councillorship positions to the APC is not only shameless — it is unprecedented in Nigeria’s electoral history,” the spokesman wrote.

The Labour Party further alleged that the APC had shown scant regard for the rule of law, noting that “the audacity with which officials of the Lagos State Independent Electoral Commission (LASIEC) collaborated openly with APC operatives represents a new low.”

It added that, “Never in our democratic journey has such impunity been so openly executed.”

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The party claimed reports from its agents across the local government areas indicated that in many polling units, ballot boxes were already stuffed with pre-thumbprinted ballot papers before voting began.

Asogwa also alleged that LASIEC officials were seen arriving at voting centres with pre-filled result sheets even before the counting of ballots, stating, “While no one expects electoral decency from the APC, we had hoped that they would at least attempt to feign fairness.

“Even that pretence has now been discarded.”

The LP urged its supporters in the state to remain calm and law-abiding in the face of what it called a “provocative” development, while calling on LASIEC “to immediately cancel this mockery of an election and organise a fresh, transparent process that reflects the genuine will of the people.

“Lagos, known as the Centre of Excellence, should not be reduced to a theatre of electoral absurdity.

“As a microcosm of Nigeria, what happens in Lagos has ripple effects across the federation.”

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