Lagos Opposition Rejects LG Polls, Labels Exercise a State-Sponsored Electoral Fraud

Tension continues to rise in Lagos State following the controversial outcome of the recently held local government elections, as a coalition of opposition parties has unanimously rejected the results. In what they described as “daylight robbery” and a “state-sponsored assault on democracy,” the parties are now demanding the immediate cancellation of the polls and vowing to challenge the process through legal and constitutional means.

The elections, held on Saturday under the supervision of the Lagos State Independent Electoral Commission (LASIEC), have drawn heavy criticism from key opposition groups, including the Labour Party (LP), Young Progressives Party (YPP), African Action Congress (AAC), Action People’s Congress (APP), Accord Party, and the People’s Democratic Party (PDP). At a joint press conference in Lagos, the parties accused LASIEC of widespread irregularities, disenfranchisement, voter suppression, and direct complicity in electoral manipulation.

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Opposition Slams LASIEC Over Irregularities and Voter Suppression

Speaking on behalf of the Labour Party, Pastor Dayo Ekong, through her deputy Mr. Olasupo Ajayi, condemned the entire process as fraudulent and premeditated.

“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,” she said.

Ekong did not hold back in her accusations, directly blaming LASIEC Chairperson Justice Bola Ighile for the collapse of credibility within the state’s electoral body.

“We witnessed, and documented, widespread irregularities orchestrated by LASIEC. We utterly reject the fraudulent results declared by LASIEC in the affected LGAs. We hold Justice Bola Ighile personally responsible for this travesty and the complete collapse of LASIEC’s credibility under her watch,” she added.

She further revealed that the Labour Party is compiling what she termed “exhaustive evidence” and will seek redress through all legal channels to reverse what they consider an unlawful subversion of the people’s will.

“Our resolve is unwavering. We will not rest until justice is served and the will of the people of Lagos is respected. The Labour Party will not allow this daylight robbery to stand unchallenged.”

Opposition Parties Cite Ballot Manipulation, Violence, and Intimidation

Echoing similar concerns, Mr. Olusegun Mobolaji of the YPP described the pre-election process as deeply flawed. He pointed to contradictions in the electoral timetable and delays in issuing nomination forms as strategic tools used to frustrate the opposition.

“Some parties got nomination forms from LASIEC just two days before the election due to bureaucratic bottlenecks. How can we ascribe credibility to such an election?” Mobolaji questioned.

Mrs. Abiola Adeyemi, State Chair of the APP and Secretary of the Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC), shared a harrowing personal experience. According to her, she narrowly escaped physical assault by suspected APC thugs in Badagry after raising concerns about the APP’s logo being removed from the ballot paper.

“This was not an election. It was a well-coordinated exercise in suppression and disenfranchisement. How can a party’s logo be omitted from the ballot in multiple polling units without consequence?” she lamented.

Mr. Dele Oladeji, Chairman of Accord Party, was equally blunt in his assessment. “LASIEC acted as election players, not as umpire. We contested against LASIEC. It was a systematic rigging orchestrated before election day,” he stated.

PDP Declares Election a Charade, Vows Legal Battle

The People’s Democratic Party (PDP), the main opposition party in the state, also denounced the conduct of the elections. Chief Adegboyega Adegbesan, Forum Chairman of PDP Local Government Chairmen and a leader in Oshodi-Isolo LGA, declared the entire exercise as illegitimate.

“What occurred on Saturday was no election. It was a charade and a criminal conspiracy against the people’s sovereign will,” he said.

He alleged that in many PDP strongholds, pre-thumbprinted ballots were smuggled into the process, while election materials arrived late or were deliberately withheld to depress voter turnout.

“In several areas, documentation was deliberately incomplete or missing, which frustrated voters and reduced participation. This was not by accident—it was by design,” Adegbesan emphasized.

Unified Demand for Redress and Electoral Reforms

The coalition of opposition parties has now vowed to pursue all necessary legal and constitutional steps to reverse the results and hold LASIEC accountable. They maintain that democracy in Lagos must not be reduced to a symbolic exercise controlled by state machinery.

The joint statement from the press conference made it clear: “The mandate of the people must be protected. We will not accept these results. We will not allow democracy in Lagos to be buried under the weight of electoral fraud.”

As political tensions escalate, the focus now shifts to the courts, where the opposition hopes to challenge the controversial outcome and push for lasting electoral reforms in the state.