The Youth Party has fiercely criticized the Lagos State Local Government elections held on Saturday, July 12, 2025, calling the exercise “shambolic” and “brazenly manipulated” in favour of the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC.
This denunciation mirrors that of the Labour Party, which described the process as a “dangerous model for electoral malpractice” ahead of the 2027 general polls.
On Sunday, the Lagos State Independent Electoral Commission, LASIEC, announced APC candidates as the winners in all 57 chairmanship seats contested.
Additionally, the APC secured 375 of the 376 councillorship positions, while the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, managed to win only one ward.
In a statement released by Francisco Doregos, Chairman of the Youth Party’s Lagos branch, the party accused LASIEC of overseeing a severely compromised election, referencing numerous instances of voter suppression and electoral fraud.
“As expected, the Lagos State Local Government Elections were shambolic and brazenly manipulated against our candidates without any sense of shame,” Doregos stated.
He claimed the electoral commission had been biased from the beginning, noting that commissioners with ties to the APC had been appointed.
Doregos further alleged that LASIEC neglected critical legal obligations, including the issuance of valid election notices and the publication of the voter register before the polls.
The Youth Party also alleged that security forces were deployed to harass and hinder its candidates, but maintained it outshone other opposition parties in areas where it presented candidates.
“We were clearly the top choice without electoral fraud,” Doregos claimed.
“We emerged as the leading party across polling units where we had candidates, surpassing the PDP, AA, ZLP and other opposition groups,” he added.
Similarly, the Labour Party voiced deep dissatisfaction with the election results. In a statement from Senator Nenadi Usman, Chair of its National Caretaker Committee, released in Abuja by her Senior Special Adviser on Media, Ken Asogwa, the party accused the APC of outright electoral misconduct, allegedly aided by LASIEC personnel.
Usman described the APC’s total victory as “disgraceful” and “unmatched in Nigeria’s voting history.”
“The charade witnessed in Lagos on Saturday under the banner of council election once again highlights the APC’s aversion to democratic norms and lawful procedures,” the statement said.
“The boldness with which LASIEC staff collaborated openly with APC agents marks a disturbing new low.”
According to the Labour Party, its representatives across the state reported widespread irregularities, such as ballot boxes already filled with thumb-printed votes and result sheets delivered to polling units before the election started.
“No one expects fair play from the APC, but we at least hoped for the illusion of it. Even that has now been abandoned,” the party remarked.
Urging its supporters to remain peaceful, the Labour Party called for the immediate annulment of the results and a fresh, transparent election that genuinely captures the will of Lagos residents.
“Lagos, known as the Centre of Excellence, must not be turned into a stage for electoral ridicule. What transpired on Saturday is a glaring warning, and all genuine democrats in Nigeria should take it seriously,” Asogwa cautioned.
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