in Abuja 

The National Caretaker Committee of the Labour Party (LP) has taken a swipe at the Lagos State Independent Electoral Commission (LASIEC) and All Progressives Congress (APC) over the conduct of Saturday’s local council elections where APC reportedly clinched 57 council chairmanship seats and 375 out of 376 councillorship positions.

LP said the exercise was a sham and “a clear red flag – a troubling pointer to what the 2027 general elections may look like if this pattern is not disrupted.”

The party expressed concerns that every true democrat in Nigeria should be alarmed at such development.

Spokesman to LP’s acting National Chairman, Nenadi Usman, Ken Asogwa,  in a statement,  yesterday lamented that “The farce that played out in Lagos State on Saturday, 12th July 2025, under the guise of local government elections, has once again exposed the APC as a party allergic to democratic principles and due process. 

‘’The brazen self-allocation of all 57 council chairmanship seats and 375 out of 376 councillorship positions to the APC is not only shameless – it is unprecedented in Nigeria’s electoral history.”

He said LP has for long known that the APC, both at the national and sub-national levels, has little regard for civility or the rule of law, but “the audacity with which officials of the Lagos State Independent Electoral Commission (LASIEC) collaborated openly with APC operatives represents a new low. 

Never in our democratic journey has such impunity been so openly executed.”

According to him, reports from agents of the party  across Lagos State indicate that in most polling units, ballot boxes were already stuffed with pre-thumb printed ballot papers before voting even commenced. 

He also said in many instances, LASIEC officials reportedly arrived with pre-filled result sheets – long before any vote was cast. 

“While no one expects electoral decency from the APC, we had hoped that they would, at least, attempt to feign fairness. Even that pretense has now been discarded,” he added.

The party therefore, called on its supporters across Lagos to remain calm and law abiding in the face of what it described as “monumental provocation.”

The statement called on “LASIEC immediately cancel this mockery of an election and organise a fresh, transparent process that reflects the genuine will of the people.”

“Lagos, known as the centre of excellence, should not be reduced to a theatre of electoral absurdity. As a microcosm of Nigeria, what happens in Lagos has ripple effects across the federation,” it stressed, adding that LP “will not be silent.”