…Ruling party tightens grip on Lagos grassroots politics
…PDP wins single councillorship seat in Yaba LCDA

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has secured a sweeping victory in the Lagos State local government elections held on Saturday, clinching all 20 chairmanship seats and 375 out of 376 councillorship positions.

The Lagos State Independent Electoral Commission (LASIEC) announced the results on Sunday, confirming that the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) managed to win only a single councillorship seat in Ward D of the Yaba Local Council Development Area.

The election was conducted across 13,325 polling units covering the state’s 20 Local Government Areas (LGAs) and 37 Local Council Development Areas (LCDAs). Fifteen of Nigeria’s 19 registered political parties fielded candidates for the contest.

The outcome further consolidates the APC’s grip on grassroots governance in Lagos ahead of future state and national elections.

Over seven million registered voters were eligible to cast their ballots in the polls, which determined 57 chairmanship and vice-chairmanship positions as well as 376 councillorship seats.

Despite early deployment of electoral officials and a peaceful voting process, turnout was notably low in several areas, particularly in Lagos Island East LCDA. At Polling Unit 013 on Moloney Street, voting commenced at 8:10 a.m., but only 11 voters participated out of 122 registered.

Polling Unit 006 recorded just five accredited voters out of 62, while Polling Unit 007 saw six voters from a register of 48. At Polling Unit 011, which has 1,403 registered voters, turnout was similarly sparse.

LASIEC officials were present at all monitored locations and conducted the exercise smoothly. Police officers were stationed at each polling unit to maintain order.

LASIEC Chairperson, Justice Bola Okikiolu-Ighile (Rtd), said the commission had introduced new measures to tackle voter apathy and improve logistics across the state.

“In some locations, turnout was encouraging, while in others, people arrived in their own time,” she noted.

She admitted that logistical difficulties delayed the movement of materials to some remote polling units, but confirmed that these challenges were resolved in most areas.

Some residents attributed the poor turnout to disillusionment with the electoral system and insufficient voter education in the lead-up to the polls.

According to LASIEC data, Lagos State has 7,060,195 registered voters, with 6,214,970 having collected their Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs). A total of 845,225 PVCs remain uncollected.

The exercise concluded peacefully, reinforcing the APC’s political dominance across the state’s local government structure.