What is all about the Lagos council election result?
Lagos is on edge today as the Lagos State Independent Electoral Commission(LASIEC) prepares to announce the official results of Saturday’s highly anticipated local government council elections.
What was meant to be a litmus test for grassroots democracy in Nigeria’s economic powerhouse quickly turned into a national talking point not just for the political outcomes, but for what it says about voter trust, party dominance, and the future of electoral participation in urban Nigeria.
What’s the Buzz in the Lagos council election result so far?
The elections held across the 20 Local Government Areas(LGAs) and 37 local LCDAs were marked by a disappointing voter turnout estimated in many polling units to be under 30%.
Some even reported turnout as low as 10%.
For a state with over 7 million registered voters, that’s not just a low number, it’s a red flag.
LASIEC officials, speaking on Sunday morning, acknowledged these turnout challenges but maintained that the process was peaceful, transparent, and largely incident-free.
The commission's chairperson, Justice Ayotunde Phillips confirmed that collation had gone smoothly overnight and results from various wards and councils would be formally released this afternoon.
But while LASIEC is preaching calm and control, the real story is unfolding on the ground and it’s far more complex.
APC’s Grip Remains Firm For Now
Early results trickling in from wards across Ikeja, Eti-Osa, Mushin, and Badagry show a predictable but strategic dominance by the ruling All Progressives Congress(APC).
Their candidates are already claiming victory in multiple chairmanship and councillorship seats.
In Mushin’s Odi-Olowo/Ojuwoye LCDA, the APC candidate Seyi Jakande reportedly secured a landslide win, polling more than 58,000 votes a figure that dwarfs those of his PDP and Labour Party counterparts.
A similar sweep was recorded in Oto-Awori, where APC’s Kareem Azeez garnered over 19,000 votes against a combined opposition total of less than 2,000.
Opposition Parties Cry Foul
The Labour Party, PDP, and the Youth Party have all issued scathing public statements rejecting the credibility of the election.
Their grievances range from missing party logos on ballot papers to alleged ballot box snatching and widespread voter intimidation.
“They promised a free and fair election but delivered a scripted performance where the winner was already known,” one PDP spokesperson said on Sunday morning.
Even more damning, Labour Party leaders are threatening legal action to contest the validity of the results.
And guess what? They’re not just making noise they’re building digital evidence, crowd-sourced from polling stations across Alimosho, Surulere, and Ifako-Ijaiye.
Whether these challenges hold water in court is another story.
But the perception battle is already being lost by LASIEC.
And in an election with already pitiful turnout, that perception matters a lot more than numbers on a board.
So, Why Should You Care?
Because what’s playing out in Lagos right now is a sneak preview of 2027.
If you think local elections don’t matter, think again.
The same voter apathy, the same institutional advantages, and the same fragile trust in electoral commissions will echo at the national level.
This isn’t just about who becomes the council chairman of Ifako-Ijaiye or Kosofe.
It’s about whether young voters, disillusioned first-time voters, and even middle-class professionals feel they have a stake in Nigeria’s democratic process.
Saturday’s turnout suggests many don’t. And that’s a bigger crisis than any one party’s loss.
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