By OLA MODUPE, Lagos-
Forum of Lagos State PDP Local Government Chairmen has rejected the results of Saturday’s council elections, pledging to challenge the outcome in court over alleged widespread irregularities.
Forum Chairman and PDP leader in Oshodi-Isolo LGA, Chief Adegboyega Adegbesan, announced this at a press conference held Tuesday at the PDP Secretariat in Lagos Mainland LGA, attended by party chairmen and state leaders, as reported by the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).
“What occurred on Saturday was no election. It was a charade and a criminal conspiracy against the people’s sovereign will,” Adegbesan declared, refusing to recognize the “fraudulent election” or its “alleged winners.”
He accused the APC-led government and the Lagos State Independent Electoral Commission (LASIEC) of orchestrating violence and manipulation, claiming, “Armed thugs brazenly attacked polling units, snatched ballot boxes, and beat voters while security agents and LASIEC officials stood by silently.”
Adegbesan alleged massive ballot box stuffing, stating, “In PDP strongholds across the state, pre-thumbprinted ballots were delivered in bags.”
He further noted, “In some LGAs, PDP agents were assaulted, chased away, and denied access to collation centres,” and claimed that vote counts in certain wards exceeded registered voter numbers.
He criticized LASIEC’s neutrality, asserting, “Election materials arrived late or not at all, and documentation was deliberately incomplete to frustrate PDP supporters and reduce turnout.”
Adegbesan urged the National Assembly to safeguard grassroots democracy, warning, “If we ignore this injustice, we risk normalising rigging and silencing voters permanently.”
PDP chairman in Alimosho LGA, Alhaji Isiaka Shodiya, called for the abolition of state electoral commissions to protect local democracy.
Meanwhile, Mr. Alade Yusuf, a PDP councillorship candidate for Ward F in Yaba LCDA, alleged, “No collation occurred at my ward before a result was declared,” demanding a fresh poll with enhanced security and oversight.
NAN reports that other PDP LGA chairmen and candidates echoed calls for the election’s nullification.
LASIEC, however, declared that the APC won all 57 chairmanship seats and 375 of 376 councillorship positions in the state.
