The Lagos State chapter of the Labour Party (LP) has announced its firm decision to legally challenge the results of the recently conducted local government council polls in the state, citing widespread electoral malpractices and irregularities. The party’s chairperson in Lagos, Pastor Dayo Ekong, declared at a news conference that the LP would not remain silent in the face of what it described as a “descent into darkness” and a subversion of the people’s will. This legal challenge sets the stage for a contentious aftermath to the July 12 elections.
The Lagos State Independent Electoral Commission (LASIEC) had conducted elections for 57 chairmanship and 376 councillorship positions, with the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) sweeping all 57 chairmanship seats and securing 375 of the 376 councillorship positions. The Labour Party views this near-total victory by the APC as highly suspicious and indicative of a deeply flawed process rather than a true reflection of the electorate’s preferences.
Pastor Ekong listed a litany of alleged malpractices that marred the exercise, including voter inducement, thuggery, fake accreditation, ballot stuffing, disenfranchisement of legitimate voters, and the crucial absence of party logos at various polling units. She also highlighted instances of election officials and materials being conspicuously absent from several polling centers across the state, thereby hindering the electoral process and denying citizens their right to vote.
The LP chairperson revealed that she personally witnessed some of these irregularities in Eti-Osa, Amuwo-Odofin, and Ajeromi council areas, with similar reports flooding in from other local councils. According to Ekong, “These irregularities were not glitches; they were deliberate tools used to suppress the electorate and distort the outcome,” suggesting a premeditated effort to manipulate the results rather than mere operational inefficiencies.
The Labour Party has stated that its legal team is actively compiling comprehensive evidence to support its case in court. The party expressed hope that the judiciary would uphold the tenets of justice and fairness, urging it to meticulously examine their complaints. Beyond the immediate challenge, the LP also advocated for the outright scrapping of State Independent Electoral Commissions (SIECs), arguing that their functions should be transferred to the national electoral body, INEC, to ensure greater independence and credibility in local elections.
