Voice of Lagos — Council Elections Triumph: APC Stays Supreme
Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has celebrated the All Progressives Congress (APC)’s sweeping victory in the recent July 12 local government elections, emphasising that the outcome reflects the deep-seated trust Lagosians place in the party’s leadership and grassroots development vision
APC Domination in Numbers
In a historic clean sweep, APC won all 57 chairmanship seats and secured 375 out of 376 councillorship positions across all LGAs and LCDAs in the state. The only exception was one ward in Yaba LCDA, Ward D, where the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, Babatunde Dosunmu, scored a surprise victory.
While the results affirm the dominance of APC, critics—including the Labour Party (LP), PDP, and Action Peoples Party (APP)—have raised serious allegations. They voiced concerns over voter turnout disparities, claims of irregularities, and poor electoral logistics in certain areas.
Governor’s Message: Unity, Service, Accountability
Sanwo-Olu warmly congratulated the newly elected chairmen and councillors in a statement on Sunday. He stressed that their hard-earned victory must translate into responsive, inclusive, and transparent governance—especially at the grassroots—calling the win “a means to an end” aimed at serving all Lagosians.
He appealed to the APC faithful and those defeated in the primaries to rally behind the party. He pleaded for unity, reminding them that party cohesion is key to sustaining APC’s development agenda in Lagos.
Peaceful Conduct, Low Turnout, Some Logistics Gaps
The Lagos State Independent Electoral Commission (LASIEC), led by Retired Justice Bola Okikiolu‑Ighile, remarking at its headquarters in Sabo‑Yaba, described the election process as peaceful and credible, acknowledging a generally orderly conduct across over 13,000 polling units.
However, voter turnout remained below expectations. For instance, in Oba Elegushi’s Polling Unit, out of 10,812 registered voters only 3,741 cast ballots—a turnout under 35%. Additionally, some polling units experienced significant delays in receiving electoral materials, causing late starts—such as Ifako‑Ijaiye initiating voting after 9:28 a.m. instead of the scheduled 8:00 a.m. start.
Opposition Outcry: Democracy or Mockery?
Reactions from opposition parties were pointed:
- PDP—represented by Deputy Chairman Tai Benedict—deemed the scale of APC’s triumph unrealistic and symptomatic of “a bad system.” He pointed out isolated incidents of voter intimidation and inconsistent results.
- Labour Party labelled the process a sham, citing abandoned polling units and widespread procedural flaws. Secretary Sam Okpala stated bluntly, “What we witnessed… was a raping of democracy”.
- APP and PDP, through NAN, rejected the results entirely, claiming manipulation and impractical vote tallies—particularly in Isolo, where they noted over 30 units lacked electoral officers.
In contrast, APC spokesman Seye Oladejo declared the results as a “resounding win” borne of public trust in APC’s vision for progress, crediting both voters and party cadres for their “unflinching, overwhelming support”.
APC’s Confidence—Backed by Campaign Effort
These results capped off an aggressive campaign effort led by Sanwo-Olu and his deputy, Femi Hamzat, who rallied voters across the state in mega‑rallies, urging them to turn out en masse to ensure APC’s retention of all seats.
Sanwo-Olu first with flag-presentation at Marino, then decentralized pushing through house‑to‑house canvassing—encouraging APC supporters not to take victory for granted amid tight grassroots competition.
What’s Next: Delivering Promises
Moving forward, Sanwo-Olu issued a stern reminder: winning elections is only the start. He tasked the newly endorsed officials with driving development—enhancing healthcare, education, infrastructure, and welfare at the local levels, and vowed sustained collaboration between state government and LGs to foster a “Greater Lagos” .
LASIEC also received commendations for carrying out the election amid peace and order, though Sanwo-Olu and others acknowledged that future processes could be strengthened through improved logistics.
Conclusion
The July 12 local elections reaffirm APC’s overwhelming grip on Lagos’ political landscape. Governor Sanwo-Olu attributes this to public confidence in the party’s performance at both state and federal levels, as well as a unified, robust campaign strategy.
Nonetheless, opposition concerns about fairness, low turnout, and isolated logistics bottlenecks highlight areas needing reform. Moving forward, fulfilling the promises made—and engaging Lagosians substantively—will be crucial for sustaining the mandate handed to APC at the grassroots.
