A coalition of opposition political parties in Lagos State has denounced the recently concluded local government elections, demanding that the exercise be annulled and repeated. Describing the process as neither free nor fair, they tagged it “daylight robbery” and an outright assault on democracy.
At a joint press briefing held in Lagos on Tuesday, representatives from the Labour Party (LP), African Action Congress (AAC), Young Progressives Party (YPP), Action People’s Congress (APC), and Accord Party came together to express their dissatisfaction with the elections overseen by the Lagos State Independent Electoral Commission (LASIEC).
According to the party leaders, the election was riddled with irregularities and marked by blatant disenfranchisement of opposition candidates. They alleged that LASIEC orchestrated the process in a manner that favored the ruling party and undermined democratic values.
Pastor Dayo Ekong, the Labour Party Chairperson in Lagos, whose message was delivered by her deputy, Mr. Olasupo Ajayi, described the entire process as a well-coordinated fraud. She criticized LASIEC for what she referred to as a calculated manipulation of the election to guarantee victory for the ruling party.
“These elections were not about the people’s will,” Ekong said. “What we witnessed was a deliberate and calculated hijack of democracy, designed to serve the interests of the ruling party. It was a sham orchestrated by LASIEC, and we have it all documented.”
She went on to condemn the conduct of the commission’s chairperson, Justice Bola Ighile, accusing her of compromising the integrity of LASIEC. “We reject in totality the fraudulent results LASIEC announced. The Commission, under Justice Ighile’s leadership, has lost every shred of credibility. We hold her accountable for this disgraceful charade,” she added.
Ekong assured that the Labour Party is gathering evidence and would not relent until justice is served. “We are prepared to take every legal and constitutional step to contest this brazen theft of the people’s mandate. We will not allow this to go unchecked.”
Echoing the LP’s stance, the Young Progressives Party’s Lagos Chairman, Mr. Olusegun Mobolaji, criticized the electoral process, calling it “deeply flawed from the onset.”
“The irregularities started even before voting began. The timetable released by LASIEC was inconsistent and burdensome for opposition parties. Some candidates didn’t receive their nomination forms until two days before the election. How can such a process be deemed credible?” Mobolaji questioned.
Adding to the list of grievances, Mrs. Abiola Adeyemi, the Lagos State Chairperson of the Action People’s Congress (APP) and Secretary of the Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC), narrated a harrowing experience. She said she was nearly assaulted by individuals she identified as APC thugs in Badagry, after protesting the omission of her party’s logo from the ballot paper.
“I narrowly escaped physical harm for simply standing up for my party’s rights,” she said, condemning the violent suppression of opposition voices.
With these damning allegations, the coalition of opposition parties is united in their demand for the cancellation of the election and a call for an independent and credible process to be initiated.
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