Opposition parties in Lagos State have protested the victory of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Saturday’s Local Government elections.
Reports indicated that the APC clinched all 57 chairmanship seats and 375 out of 376 councillorship positions in the election.
The Chairman of the Lagos State Independent Electoral Commission (LASIEC), Justice Bola Okikiolu-Ighile (retd.), announced the results on Sunday at the commission’s headquarters in Sabo Yaba, Lagos.
LASIEC said the APC swept the polls in all 20 local government areas and 37 local council development areas of the state.
In a major upset, however, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) secured a rare victory in Ward D of the Yaba LCDA, where its candidate, Babatunde Dosunmu, defeated the APC contender.
Dosunmu, a former APC member, defected to the PDP shortly before the poll.
While reacting in an interview with newsmen on Sunday, the PDP’s Deputy Chairman in the state, Tai Benedict, said he was not disappointed at the result and commended the party’s supporters.
Benedict said the APC’s “aggressive campaigns” meant something, saying it was not possible for the APC to pull such a number of votes.
He said, “I’m not disappointed in the results. I’m not disappointed at all. We’re going to commend all our candidates in the election for standing tall and making the party proud. And at least, the people will now know the difference between the PDP and the LP. That is for one.
“At the last election, the LP members were claiming that they were more popular than the PDP. I am not disappointed. I know that with the very aggressive campaign (of the APC), we all know what it means.
“And I kept telling some people that if you calculate this election, all the chairmanship elections in all the 20 LGAs and 30 LCDAs if you calculate it, these kinds of votes they have, is that possible at this point? Is that realistic at this point? We know it is not realistic.”
Benedict said, given the voter apathy that marred the poll where “We had some people playing football around, yet, look at the figures that they are bringing out.
“Get all the chairmanship calculations all over the city, see how many thousands, compared to the last election. You will see that. So, the system is bad.”
The Labour Party’s Secretary in Lagos, Sam Okpala, said there was “no election” in the state on Saturday.
“I think what happened is that there was no election,” Okpala said in an interview.
“What we witnessed in Lagos yesterday (Saturday) was a sham, a rape of democracy, a waste of billions of naira of taxpayers’ money.
“How can one believe or call a situation where almost half of the polling units, LASIEC officials did not come to conduct the election, an election?”
He alleged that in areas where elections were held, it was marred by irregularities.
The African Action Congress (AAC), in a statement signed by its chairman, Ayoyinka Oni, called for the cancellation of the LG poll.
“The outcome of Saturday’s election is nothing to write home about. Without any doubt, this has been predicted by us, because the foundation of a building determines how it can withstand a storm. LASIEC knew that they had failed before today, as the process was marred by a lot of lapses from the beginning.”
The AAC said, “This is not an election, it is worse than a coup. We demand the immediate cancellation of the entire exercise.”
Meanwhile, the APC Publicity Secretary, Seye Oladejo, in a statement on Sunday, applauded the electorate for “their unflinching, overwhelming support and trust.”
He also commended the hard work of party loyalists, whom he said ensured victory for the APC.
Oladejo said, “This resounding win is a testament to the enduring relationship between the APC and the great people of Lagos.
“It reflects not only confidence in the leadership of our party but also the continued endorsement of our vision for progress, development, and inclusive governance at the grassroots level.
“We commend the dedication, discipline, and unity of purpose demonstrated by our candidates, party faithful, and campaign teams throughout this electoral process.”
The Punch
