The ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) has swept last Saturday’s local government elections in Lagos State, winning all 20 chairmanship seats, and 376 councillor positions except one.
The results were announced on Sunday by the Lagos State Independent Electoral Commission (LASIEC).
APC lost only Ward D in Yaba Local Council Development Area (LCDA), where the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) won one councillor seat.
Over 7 million registered voters were expected to participate in the elections to choose chairmen and councillors for the state’s 20 local government areas (LGAs) and 37 LCDAs. Voting took place in 13,325 polling units across the state.
According to LASIEC, 15 out of the 19 registered political parties in Nigeria contested the elections.
With this outcome, the APC retains its dominant grip on the state’s grassroots political structure, further reinforcing Lagos as a stronghold of the ruling party.
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Low turnout, logistics hiccups
Despite the early arrival of electoral officials and the smooth start of voting in many areas, voter turnout was significantly low in several locations, particularly on Lagos Island East LCDA.
At Polling Unit 013 on Moloney Street, voting began at exactly 8:10 a.m. after the accreditation of voters. Although the unit has 122 registered voters, about 11 people were seen in the queue at the start of voting.
Similar scenes of voter apathy played out across other polling units in the area. At Polling Unit 006, only 5 were accredited out of 62 registered voters.
Also, Polling Unit 007 recorded six out of 48 registered voters. Polling Unit 011, despite having 1,403 registered voters, saw a low turnout. Polling Units 016 and 018, with 309 and 116 registered voters respectively, also recorded sparse attendance.
Across all visited polling units, LASIEC officials were present and attended to voters without delay. At least one police officer was stationed at each location, ensuring order in what remained largely peaceful and uneventful polls.
LASIEC had earlier outlined plans to mitigate voter apathy and improve logistics. LASIEC chairperson Bola Okikiolu-Ighile, a retired judge, had said no political party was excluded from participation.
However, she also addressed reports of low turnout and late arrival of materials in some areas during the briefing.
“In some places, the turnout was very impressive. In others, voters came out at their own pace,” she said. “Someone sent me a message that it didn’t take him more than five minutes at the polling unit. So we may not really know how many people came out.”
She added that while some polling units in remote areas were initially difficult to access, sensitive and non-sensitive materials eventually reached their destinations, and logistical challenges were resolved in most parts of the state.
Poor awareness, cynicism cited
Some residents who spoke to PREMIUM TIMES on Saturday attributed the low turnout to a lack of faith in the local electoral process and poor awareness ahead of the polls. Others said they felt their votes would not make a difference.
As of midday on Saturday, voting continued peacefully in Lagos Island East and other parts of the state, but the low turnout persisted, raising broader concerns about civic engagement and trust in grassroots governance.
According to LASIEC figures, Lagos has 7,060,195 registered voters, with 6,214,970 having collected their Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs). However, 845,225 PVCs remain uncollected—an issue observers say may have contributed to the poor turnout.
The elections covered all 57 chairmanship and vice-chairmanship positions, as well as 376 councillorship seats across the state.
The 20 LGAs in Lagos are: Agege, Ajeromi-Ifelodun, Alimosho, Amuwo-Odofin, Apapa, Badagry, Epe, Eti-Osa, Ibeju-Lekki, Ifako-Ijaiye, Ikeja, Ikorodu, Kosofe, Lagos Island, Lagos Mainland, Mushin, Ojo, Oshodi-Isolo, Shomolu, and Surulere.
The 37 LCDAs include: Orile Agege, Ifelodun, Agbado-Oke Odo, Ayobo-Ipaja, Egbe-Idimu, Mosan-Okunola, Oriade, Apapa Iganmu, Olorunda, Badagry West, Eredo, Ikosi-Ejirin, Ikoyi-Obalende, Iru/Victoria Island, Lekki, Ojokoro, Onigbongbo, Ojodu, Igbogbo-Baiyeku, Ijede, Imota, Ikorodu North, Ikorodu West, Agboyi-Ketu, Ikosi-Isheri, Lagos Island East, Yaba, Odi-Olowo, Iba, Oto-Awori, Ejigbo, Isolo, Bariga, Coker-Aguda, and Itire-Ikate.
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