When voters in Lagos trooped out on July 12, 2025, for the local government elections, many were stunned to discover a striking pattern: across several polling units, only two party logos were printed on the ballot, the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). There was no trace of the Labour Party (LP), Social Democratic Party (SDP), African Democratic Congress (ADC), or any of the smaller parties. For an electorate that expected a broader democratic choice, the outcome of Lagos 2025 election raised serious questions.
Was it a deliberate exclusion? Or were other political parties simply unprepared?
Officially, the Lagos State Independent Electoral Commission (LASIEC) maintains that 15 political parties were cleared to contest in the 2025 local government elections. But in practice, the field was lopsided. Only APC fielded candidates in all 57 councils and 376 wards across the state. PDP followed with presence in 45 councils and 259 wards. Labour Party submitted only 22 chairmanship and 130 councillorship candidates, while smaller parties like ZLP, AAC, and Youth Party made scattered appearances in select wards.
Voters like Mr. Jide David Sunday, an SDP candidate, insist the situation wasn’t entirely voluntary.
“Unfortunately, when we got to our individual polling units to cast our votes our party logo is not there. They accredited only two parties, which is APC and PDP,” he said.
This sentiment echoed widely on social media, where users accused LASIEC of systematically cutting out viable opposition.
@kurrency217 summed it up with biting sarcasm:
“The way the Lagos APC are afraid of Labour Party is out of this world. They purposely removed LP because that is the only viable opposition that can remove them from power. They knew PDP is dead — that was why they added it to the ballot.”
Of course, LASIEC and APC leaders deny any foul play. They argue that parties missing from the ballot simply failed to meet the requirements. But when nearly all ballot papers show only two parties, the optics and the democratic implications cannot be ignored.
@OlabisiDwight posted a photo of a ballot paper displaying logos of other parties to defend the credibility of the process, she wrote:
“Stop the misinformation for that area Lp dont have candidate that is why it was blank where other party have candidate their party are there”
The screening saga
Let’s not mince words: the pre-election screening process was a mess, at least according to many opposition candidates. LASIEC had set June 30 as the deadline for candidate validation. But even days after, opposition candidates were reportedly still queueing outside LASIEC’s Yaba headquarters, clutching forms and documents, hoping to be screened in time.
Chief Sunday Olaifa, a PDP official in Lagos, described the situation as deliberate frustration. “Many candidates are still outside LASIEC’s gate, struggling to get screened. I’ve not seen any APC candidates facing the same difficulty,” he lamented. He wasn’t alone. Labour, ZLP, and Youth Party aspirants shared similar frustrations — some claimed their files “went missing,” others said they were asked to produce unexpected documents like primary school certificates.
“How do you expect someone who finished primary school 40 years ago to produce that certificate?” asked Isiaka Shodiya, PDP chairman in Alimosho. “It’s not even in the guidelines. This is pure disqualification by trick.”
The result? Many opposition candidates were disqualified not by a court ruling as legally required, but by failing to complete LASIEC’s validation in time. While LASIEC insists they gave a “correction window” on July 1–2, aspirants say the chaos, police dispersals, and screening inconsistencies made that window inaccessible.
These bottlenecks meant that even when parties had candidates, many didn’t make it onto the final ballot list. For example, an FIJ investigation revealed that in Mushin LGA Ward E, only one name (an APC candidate) appeared. There was no competition.
For voters like @fabrepass, the process stunk of manipulation: “This is very wrong. Nigeria should wake up. Why will only two party logos be accredited? When will corruption stop in this country?”
Even @Evansheartz warned of the consequences:
“Should this issue be treated with silence? Mind you all, if this can happen now, then in 2027 it will only be APC. We counter this now or forever remain silent.”
Also Read: Nigeria’s Long Road to Credible Elections
LCDAs, Supreme Court rulings, and boycotts
Beyond paperwork and politics, the Lagos 2025 election was also clouded by a complicated legal backdrop. LASIEC conducted elections in all 57 local councils, that is, 20 constitutionally recognized LGAs and 37 state-created LCDAs. But in 2024, the Supreme Court ruled that only LGAs are recognized by Nigeria’s constitution. This judgment gave opposition parties another dilemma.
ADC, for instance, announced it would only contest elections in the 20 recognized LGAs to stay within constitutional limits. “We are abiding by the rule of law,” said its Lagos chairman, George Ashiru. The NNPP, meanwhile, boycotted the polls entirely, citing “fundamental irregularities” and “illegal conduct of elections in unrecognized LCDAs.”
This legal ambiguity contributed to the reduced number of candidates. Some parties refused to participate in LCDAs. Others, fearing court challenges, pulled out at the last minute. Thirteen out of 15 parties even declined to sign LASIEC’s peace accord, accusing the body of bias and procedural unfairness.
To further complicate matters, LASIEC imposed high nomination fees of ₦150,000 per Chairmanship candidate, ₦75,000 for Vice-Chair, and ₦50,000 per Councilor. Smaller parties cried foul, calling the fees arbitrary and undemocratic. The Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC) threatened legal action, but the fees were never reversed.
@ayomi_iyi captured the mood perfectly:
“This is why LG elections shouldn’t be left in the hands of state governors. What kind of democracy has ballot papers with only APC and PDP? Governors have hijacked the process and crippled local governance.”
Despite these challenges, LASIEC insists it did nothing wrong. Chairperson Justice Mobolanle Okikiolu-Ighile emphasized that “no political party is restricted from participating” and claimed LASIEC worked to accommodate all parties, including warring Labour Party factions. But opposition parties remain unconvinced.
A democratic exercise or a managed contest?
So, where does this leave the Lagos election 2025?
At face value, it was a democratic process. LASIEC conducted polls, ballots were printed, voters showed up. But scratch the surface, and a troubling pattern emerges. The dominance of APC and PDP wasn’t merely organic, it was shaped by a combination of screening delays, legal disputes, logistical hurdles, and high costs that boxed out smaller parties.
Whether intentional or not, the outcome was the same: voters in many parts of Lagos were left with no real choice.
We should be asking ourselves: is this what democracy should look like at the grassroots? A ballot paper where 13 out of 15 parties go missing? A screening process that frustrates everyone except the ruling party? An election where legal fees and political boycotts shrink the competition?
The truth is, local elections like the Lagos 2025 election are supposed to be the most accessible tier of democracy, the level closest to the people. But when opposition parties can’t even make it to the ballot, we must question the fairness of the process.
LASIEC may not have officially disqualified parties, but its procedures, timing, and interpretation of the law undoubtedly shaped the field in a way that left many voters disenfranchised.
What’s more worrying is the precedent. If local elections become two-party charades, what stops state actors from replicating this formula in bigger contests?
As @Evansheartz rightly warned:
“If this can happen now, then in 2027 it will only be APC.”
What do you think? Was the Lagos 2025 election fair? Or is our democracy slipping into a tightly managed simulation?
Let’s talk about it, your voice matters now more than ever.
