The opposition parties in Lagos State has raised serious concerns over alleged irregularities and manipulations in the just-concluded local government elections, following the All Progressives Congress (APC)’s premature declaration of sweeping victories across the councils.
This is even as a former deputy governor of the state, Senator Kofoworola Bucknor-Akerele, called for the cancellation of the election over alleged irregularities.
Speaking to newsmen after the election, the Secretary of the Labour Party in the state, Sam Okpala, described the exercise as a “complete sham,” claiming that elections did not take place in many polling units across the state.
“As far as the Labour Party in Lagos State is concerned, there was no election today (Saturday). The level of malpractices we witnessed today is unprecedented in the history of elections in Nigeria,” he said.
According to him, in several polling units, officials of the Lagos State Independent Electoral Commission were absent, while in others, the process was marred by gross misconduct.
“Where there is a semblance of voting, it’s all about ballot box stuffing and LASIEC staff coming with already thumb-printed ballot papers. The ruling party chieftains also came with thumb-printed ballot papers and stuffed them in the boxes,” he added.
Okpala further alleged that LP supporters and agents were prevented from participating in the voting process, with many barred from entering polling units.
Also speaking, the Deputy Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party in the state, Tai Benedict, accused the ruling APC of manipulating the election process in an attempt to paint a false picture of popularity.
“What the APC did today is not new; we knew this was going to happen because even before the election, they were everywhere trying to force Lagosians to love and accept them.
“We won’t be surprised if the total number of votes recorded for the APC at the end of the day is more than the total votes that Tinubu scored in Lagos during the 2023 presidential election. We know they will manipulate the outcome,” he said.
Benedict also alleged that already thumb-printed ballot papers were stuffed into ballot boxes in several polling units, noting that the PDP was not expecting the results to reflect the will of the people.
“They want to use this election to lie to people that their party is widely accepted by Nigerians. But the outcome will not be the true reflection of the people’s choice,” he stated.
The Chairman of the Social Democratic Party in the state, Femi Olaniyi, on his part, accused the electoral body of deliberately omitting the party’s name and logo from the ballot papers, thereby shutting the party out of the election.
He vowed that the party would challenge the outcome of the election in court.
Olaniyi said, “There was no election in Lagos State today because the ballot paper carried APC and PDP, which we know is dead in Lagos State. And some in Badagry carried APC, PDP and Zenith Labour Party. No other political party. So, there was no election. This is daylight robbery. It is selection and not an election. We are going to address it and take the matter to any court of jurisdiction to address it.”
Speaking in an interview with Nigeria Info on Saturday, Bucknor-Akerele expressed frustration over her inability to vote at her polling unit.
“I have been to my own unit; my name is not there,” she said, adding that several units had been moved without prior notice.
“There are units meant to be in front of Eko Hotel & Suites, but they’ve been moved here to Ajose Adeogun,” she said.
The former deputy governor claimed that the relocation of polling units and the missing names were part of a larger plan to rig the election.
Bucknor-Akerele urged LASIEC to cancel the election, citing disenfranchisement and widespread logistical failures.
