A coalition of opposition political parties in Lagos State has called for the immediate cancellation of the local government elections held on Saturday, citing widespread irregularities, electoral malpractice, and disenfranchisement of candidates.

At a joint press conference held on Tuesday in Lagos, leaders of the Labour Party (LP), Young Progressives Party (YPP), African Action Congress (AAC), Action People’s Congress (APC) and the Accord Party described the polls as a “state-sponsored electoral fraud” and a “mockery of democracy.”

The parties accused the Lagos State Independent Electoral Commission (LASIEC) of conducting an election that fell far short of democratic standards, alleging bias, logistical failures, and outright exclusion of opposition parties from the process.

Speaking on behalf of the Labour Party, its Lagos State Chairperson, Pastor Dayo Ekong, whose remarks were delivered by her deputy, Mr. Olasupo Ajayi, described the election as a “premeditated and meticulously executed charade” aimed at handing victory to the ruling party.

“The just-concluded local government elections were not an exercise in democratic choice but a systematic, state-sponsored imposition,” Ekong said.

“We documented widespread irregularities and outright disenfranchisement orchestrated by LASIEC. We reject the results announced by the commission and hold Justice Bola Ighile, LASIEC Chairperson, personally responsible for this travesty.”

The LP also cited cases where ballot papers, result sheets, and even ballot boxes were missing in several polling units, calling the election a “daylight robbery.”

The Young Progressives Party (YPP) also raised strong objections to the conduct of the polls. The party’s state chairman and former IPAC chairman, Olusegun Mobolaji, alleged that over 100 opposition candidates were disenfranchised due to LASIEC’s failure to provide timely access to nomination forms and other essential documents.

Mobolaji noted that party logos were missing from ballot papers in several areas, including those of the YPP, LP, and APP.

“Some political parties only received nomination forms two days before the election. In our case, we were given just 310 agent tags out of 3,000 needed, and were told to make photocopies the night before the election,” he said.

“Polling units were either moved without notice or did not have LASIEC officials present. In some places, voter registers had names and photos that did not match the residents.”

The YPP leader described the process as chaotic, flawed, and designed to favour the ruling party, adding that several letters of protest to LASIEC, the state government, and security agencies were ignored.

APP: Party Leader Attacked by Political Thugs

Also present at the briefing, Mrs. Abiola Adeyemi, State Chairperson of the Action People’s Congress (APP) and Secretary of IPAC Lagos, alleged that she was nearly attacked by political thugs in Badagry for protesting the exclusion of her party’s logo on the ballot paper.

“I narrowly escaped assault for simply demanding a fair process,” she said, adding that LASIEC failed to provide any explanation or remedy on election day.

Echoing similar sentiments, Dele Oladeji, Lagos State Chairman of the Accord Party, stated that opposition parties were not just contesting elections but were also fighting against the bias and interference of LASIEC itself.

“We went into this election blindfolded. LASIEC acted not as a neutral umpire, but as a partisan player. The distribution of sensitive election materials was not monitored, and the process was clearly compromised,” Oladeji said.

He alleged that stakeholders were deliberately excluded from monitoring election logistics, further undermining the credibility of the entire exercise.

Coalition Calls for Cancellation, Legal Action

The coalition of opposition parties unanimously demanded the nullification of the entire election process, vowing to challenge the results through legal and constitutional means.

“We are compiling comprehensive evidence including videos and pictures to prove that this election was a sham. We will not rest until the will of the people is respected,” the parties declared.

They called on the Lagos State Government, the National Assembly, civil society, and the international community to closely examine the role of LASIEC, insisting that urgent reforms are needed to restore credibility to local elections in Lagos.