Lagos State Independent Electoral Commission (LASIEC) has declared the All Progressives Congress (APC) the winner of all the 20 local council chairmanship positions in the elections held at the weekend.

LASIEC Chairman, Justice Bola Okikiolu-Ighile (rtd), during a media briefing yesterday, said that out of the 376 seats, the APC emerged victorious in 375, saying that the PDP’s candidate, Babatunde Dosunmu Tijani, of Ward D in Yaba Local Council Development Area (LCDA) secured only one councillorship seat.

Dosunmu was a member of the Lagos chapter of the APC before decamping to the PDP before the election. Meanwhile, the Labour Party (LP), PDP, Social Democratic Party (SDP), and African Action Congress (AAC), among others, have faulted the process of the just concluded elections, while the APC commended Lagos residents for their support.

The AAC Chairman in Lagos State, Ayoyinka Oni, condemned the exercise, citing widespread incompetence and irregularities. Oni, in a statement yesterday, said the election was characterised by the late arrival of electoral officials, with some polling units receiving officials at noon.

According to him, this led to widespread discouragement among voters, many of whom left before the officials’ arrival. Oni also alleged that ad-hoc staff complained of receiving ballot papers late and not being provided with funds, noting that some parties’ logos were missing from the ballot papers, which eroded public confidence and led to voter apathy.

The AAC chairman, who described LASIEC as a “shame to democracy,” citing the absence of accreditation processes and the alleged collection of bribes by its members of staff, accused the electoral body of allowing APC agents and thugs to rig the election, with security lapses and violence reported in some areas, including Ikosi-Isheri, Mile 12 and Ajeromi Ifelodun.

Oni, therefore, called for the immediate cancellation of the election, citing non-compliance with electoral laws and guidelines. He also demanded the resignation of LASIEC Chairman, Justice Bola Okikiolu Ighile (rtd) and Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, for appointing an incompetent electoral body chairman.

Also, the PDP’s Deputy Chairman, Tai Benedict, accused the APC of manipulating the election process to paint a false picture of popularity, alleging that thumb-printed ballot papers were stuffed into ballot boxes in several polling units.

“What the APC did was not new. We knew this was going to happen because even before the election, they were everywhere, trying to force residents to 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 2023 presidential election,” he said.

In the same vein, the SDP’s Lagos State Chairman, Femi Olaniyi, accused LASIEC of deliberately omitting the party’s name and logo from the ballot papers, thereby shutting the party out of the election.

He vowed to challenge the outcome of the election in court, describing it as “daylight robbery” and “selection, not election. However, the APC has commended Lagos residents for their support, describing the victory as a testament to the party’s enduring relationship with the people.

The party pledged to continue delivering good governance and robust infrastructural development in every council and LCDA in the state. In a statement signed by Lagos APC Spokesperson, Seye Oladejo, the party described the resounding victory as a testament to the enduring relationship between the APC and residents of the state.

The party also attributed the victory to the confidence reposed in its leadership and the endorsement of its vision for progress, development, and inclusive governance at the grassroots level.