By Dickson Omobola
25-year-old Ahmed Iliya slipped into his recently bought Chelsea FC jersey. His hose, neatly washed, reached up to his knees, while his shiny Adidas boots embraced his feet.
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He was ready for action. His destination was the popular Orege Road in Ajeromi-Ifelodun area of Lagos State, which youths were preparing to transform into their temporary version of the famous Camp Nou.
It was Saturday, July 12, 2025, and the atmosphere in Lagos State wore the colours of the local government poll.
But like Iliya, many young people across the Centre of Excellence opted for football over civic duty on a day when Lagosians were expected to vote for their grassroots representatives.
Despite the fact that Lagos State Government had restricted vehicular movement to encourage residents to partake in the democratic process, Vanguard however,observed that long stretches of Igando-Iyana-Iba, Ijegun-Ikotun and Ago roads, among others, became impromptu football pitches for young people to exhibit their skills.
The youths were not alone in this neglect of good citizenship. Across many homes, elderly eligible voters also shunned their civic duty.
For instance, when this reporter stepped out to monitor the exercise and asked a middle-aged neighbour, Mr Sikiru, whether he planned to vote, with an unusual smile, he replied: “Not at all. I will spend the day watching movies, and sleep when I am tired. Everyone knows local government elections, everywhere in Nigeria, are like party primaries, and only one party wins. It is always the one the governor backs. Today (Saturday) won’t be different.”
Predictions defied
Although political analysts predicted that the election would not be different from those recently held in other states where governors, to a large extent, determined winners, many expressed conviction that residents would turn out in large proportion to cast their ballots, especially given their keen interest in grassroots governance in preparation for the 2027 general polls.
But in areas like Ojo, Alimosho, Amuwo Odofin, Apapa, Oshodi-Isolo, Surulere, Shomolu, and Kosofe, among other places that Vanguard visited between 8:00 am and 2:00 pm, the turnout was disturbingly not encouraging.
At many of the polling units visited in the early hours of the day, Vanguard observed that they were deserted, with only a few voters waiting patiently for the arrival of electoral officers.
Some residents, who spoke to Vanguard on their reason for shunning the exercise, pinpointed a lack of confidence in the electoral process.
One such resident is Mr Godfrey Johnson, who said: “Of what importance is our participation when our votes will not count? We have no confidence in the Lagos State Independent Electoral Commission LASIEC’s, ability to deliver credible elections. Until we get it right, this will be the outcome.”
Mr Taofeek Sumonu, on his part, stated that the low turnout had been expected in his area given that people show disinterest in grassroots governance.
“This is not new. It is evident in most local government elections. People are waiting for the governorship and presidential polls,” he told Vanguard.
Contestants and outcome
With high hopes of transforming grassroots governance, no fewer than 139 candidates across 10 political parties contested for the 57 chairmanship positions. Also, 842 candidates from 14 political parties vied for 376 councillorship seats across the state.
Vanguard observed that 15 out of the 19 political parties that initially expressed interest in the elections submitted candidates’ lists ahead of the poll.
The All Progressives Congress, APC, fielded candidates in all 57 local councils and 376 wards, making it the most represented party in the contest.
The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, followed with candidates contesting in 45 councils and 259 wards.
Labour Party, LP, fielded 22 chairmanship and 130 councillorship candidates, while the Zenith Labour Party had six chairmanship candidates and 21 councillors.
Other political parties with approved candidates, as listed by LASIEC, were Accord, African Action Congress, Action Alliance, Allied People’s Movement, All Progressives Grand Alliance, Social Democratic Party, National Rescue Movement, Young Progressive Party, Youth Party, Action Peoples Party and African Democratic Congress.
But when results were announced by LASIEC, the APC clinched all 57 chairmanship seats and 375 out of 376 councillorship positions, leaving opposition parties dumbfounded. For the PDP, however, there was a consolation prize, as its candidate in Ward D of the Yaba LCDA, emerged victorious.
While the newly elected council chairmen and councillors will be sworn in later this month, many think that APC’s overwhelming victory signalled what is to come in the state in 2027.
Lapses from the outset
The sweeping victory recorded by the APC not only stimulated questions about what to expect in 2027 but also led stakeholders to express dismay over the results.
Affected individuals, who spoke to Vanguard lamented the low turnout and accused LASIEC of deliberately disenfranchising the electorate to enable the APC emerge victorious.
Lending their voice to the issue, State Secretary of AAC, Jedege Kehinde, and Chairman of AAC, Ayoyinka Oni, in a statement, described the outcome of the election as nothing to write home about.
They explained what transpired during the election thus: “LASIEC knew that they had failed before the election, as the process was marred by a lot of lapses from the beginning.
“All our agents reported the late arrival of the electoral officials in their various local governments. LASIEC officials got to some polling units at noon, and many others even later. The issue of lateness caused widespread discouragement to many voters, as they had to go back home before the arrival of the LASIEC officials. This was done intentionally to disenfranchise the voters.
“When some of their ad-hoc staff were challenged, they complained of receiving ballot papers late, and also some of them said they requested funds in the morning and were not given. Can you imagine the level of incompetence?
“Some party logos were not on the ballot paper. The lack of preparation, which the public had foreseen, eroded confidence, and this brought about the voter apathy witnessed during the election. That was not an election; it was worse than a coup. APC, through the help of LASIEC, has eventually battered democracy. But what we want to tell them is that nothing lasts forever, the tables will soon turn.”
Shameful polls
Another member of the AAC, Mr Ismaeel Ogunsola, said Saturday was nothing close to an election.
Speaking to Vanguard, he said: “It was not even a selection but a show of shame. They already knew who the next chairmen and councillors were, so they just put up a show to make it seem as though they were legitimately put in office. This is evidenced in the electoral activities weeks and days before the election.
“Some of those things ranged from intimidation of opposition parties to attacks on campaigns. Meanwhile, LASIEC gave preferential treatment to APC. Should I also talk about the systematic disenfranchisement of the people on election day, either by late arrival of election officers or election materials at polling units?
“Voting was done manually. Nobody was accredited, giving the APC all the chance for multiple voting per individual. The last was the massive rigging of figures at collation centres. It was a disaster and an affront to democracy. What took place on Saturday was not an election. This is also a pointer to what will happen in the coming elections across the country.
“Nigeria is going down further into the doldrums. There was voter apathy because the people had completely lost faith in the electoral system. In my area, the APC had to go door to door to threaten people to come out and vote. In some places, people were either induced or dragged out to vote at noon when some polling units were deserted.”
Coronation, not election
It is to this end that the chairmanship candidate of the Youth Party, YP, in Eti-Osa Local Government Area, Mr Ayodele Adio, demanded that the election be cancelled.
Speaking to Vanguard, Adio described the exercise as a joke of an election, stressing that it was not only shambolic but defined by irregularities.
According to him, people voted without voter cards and there were multiple thumbprintings by hoodlums loyal to the APC.
He said: “Ballot boxes got to a lot of the areas late. The excuse given was that morning’s rain.
“There were several polling agents of mine in places such as Jakande and Osapa that were intimidated. It was a complete sham of an election. The entire process lacked legitimacy.
“LASIEC had already been working towards a predetermined answer, and that was visible on Saturday. It was more of a coronation than an election. Lack of confidence in the process, the lack of credibility and transparency discouraged people from participating. The huge voter apathy was a direct reflection of the state of our electoral commission.
“Any election in which less than five per cent of the voting population participates is a gross indictment on the electoral commission and the state that organises that election. That kind of election cannot be said to have any credibility whatsoever. The election has to be scrapped. It lacked credibility, and there is no reason why it should stand.”
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