APC dominates Lagos polls, sweeping all 57 chairmanship seats as low turnout, opposition exclusion, and legal threats mar election credibility
APC dominates Lagos polls as the ruling party swept all 57 local council chairmanship positions and 375 out of 376 councillorship seats, raising concerns over fairness and voter apathy in the just-concluded July 12 local government elections.
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The Lagos State Independent Electoral Commission (LASIEC) announced the outcome barely 24 hours after voting ended, confirming what many political analysts had predicted: a total sweep by the All Progressives Congress.
The Peoples Democratic Party managed only a single councillorship seat in a highly one-sided contest involving 15 political parties.
Justice Ayotunde Phillips (retd.), LASIEC chairperson, congratulated the winners at a press conference held at the commission’s Yaba headquarters.
“This is not just a call for celebration but a mandate to serve the people who voted for you,” she said.
Despite a declared public holiday and appeals from state officials to mobilise voters, the polls witnessed abysmally low turnout.
In Ojodu and Ikosi-Isheri, electoral officers arrived late, and voters were sparse. At Polling Unit 061 in Ojodu, only eight voters had gathered by mid-morning.
In Obalende, the air of disengagement was palpable as residents played football on major roads, ignoring the electoral process altogether.
Across many parts of the state, the elections felt more symbolic than substantive.
Controversy also marred the polls after the Social Democratic Party (SDP) accused LASIEC of omitting its logo from the ballot papers.
“This is disenfranchisement. LASIEC has shut us out of the election entirely,” said the party’s Lagos chairman, Femi Olaniyi, who vowed to challenge the results in court.
Former Deputy Governor of Lagos, Kofoworola Bucknor-Akerele, reported her name was missing from the voters’ register.
“Several units were moved without prior notice. There’s a clear effort to rig the election in favour of one party,” she claimed, calling for total cancellation of the poll.
The Accord Party joined growing calls for the abolition of State Independent Electoral Commissions (SIECs), citing LASIEC’s perceived lack of neutrality.
“State electoral commissions are not independent. If we want true grassroots democracy, INEC should take over LG elections,” said Lagos chairman, Dele Oladeji.
He dismissed concerns over overstretching INEC, asserting it has the credibility, structure, and systems to conduct fairer local elections.
Meanwhile, APC spokesperson Seye Oladejo hailed the result as a “resounding victory,” claiming it reflected the people’s enduring trust.
“The Lagos APC remains humbled by this mandate. We will continue to justify the trust reposed in us,” he said in a statement.
However, critics question the legitimacy of an election where 413 out of 414 top-tier seats were won by the ruling party.
Analysts say the polls underscored the challenges opposition parties face, including systemic exclusion and lack of institutional safeguards.
Observers argue that the July 12 outcome could reignite calls to strip SIECs of their powers and hand over local council election oversight to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
“Saturday’s election reinforced existing doubts about SIECs’ independence,” one analyst noted.
“The absence of genuine competition and massive voter apathy raises national concerns.”
Lagos, a stronghold of President Bola Tinubu and the APC’s historical base, remains symbolically important.
The ruling party’s clean sweep, even amid internal tensions and widespread disinterest, is a reminder of its enduring grip on Nigeria’s most politically consequential state.
Still, many believe that if electoral reforms are not urgently implemented, the credibility of grassroots democracy will continue to erode.
Also read: Speaker Obasa Charges Lagos Leaders with Rallying Grassroots Support
As APC dominates Lagos polls once again, the debate over how local governments are run and elected is far from over.
