The All Progressives Congress (APC) has emerged victorious in the Lagos State local government elections, winning all 20 chairmanship seats and 375 out of 376 councillorship seats.
The Lagos State Independent Electoral Commission (LASIEC) on Sunday said the APC also won 375 out of 376 councillorship seats in the state.
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) secured one councillorship seat in Ward D of Yaba Local Council Development Area (LCDA).
Registered voters in the state, on Saturday, went to the polls to elect their preferred chairmen and councillors who will pilot the affairs of the 20 local government areas (LGAs) and 37 local council development areas (LCDAs).
The state has more than seven million registered voters.
Information from the agency showed that 15 out of the 19 registered political parties in the country were confirmed to contest the chairmanship and councillorship positions.
The 20 councils are Agege, Ajeromi-Ifelodun, Alimosho, Amuwo-Odofin, Apapa, Badagry, Epe, Eti-Osa, Ibeju-Lekki, Ifako-Ijaiye, Ikeja, Ikorodu, Kosofe, Lagos Island, Lagos Mainland, Mushin, Ojo, Oshodi-Isolo, Shomolu, and Surulere.
The LCDAs are Orile Agege, Ifelodun, Agbado-Oke Odo, Ayobo-Ipaja, Egbe-Idimu, Mosan-Okunola, Oriade, Apapa Iganmu, Olorunda, Badagry West, Eredo, Ikosi-Ejirin, Ikoyi-Obalende, Iru/Victoria Island, and Lekki.
Other LCDAs are Ojokoro, Onigbongbo, Ojodu, Igbogbo-Baiyeku, Ijede, Imota, Ikorodu North, Ikorodu West, Agboyi-Ketu, Ikosi-Isheri, Lagos Island East, Yaba, Odi-Olowo, Iba, Oto-Awori, Ejigbo, Isolo, Bariga, Coker-Aguda, and Itire-Ikate.
With the results, the APC has retained its political control of Lagos, the economic nerve of Nigeria, and a major revenue contributor.
On the eve of the election, LASIEC Chairman Justice Bola Okikiolu-Ighile said that no political party was prevented from participating in the elections.
Although there were no reports of major violence during the polls, voter intimidation and late arrival of materials were recorded in some areas.
But Okikiolu-Ighile said that the claims of low turnout might have stemmed from voters departing after casting their votes.
“In some places, the turnout was very impressive. Some others took their time to come out.
“Someone sent me a message that it didn’t take him more than five minutes at the polling unit. So, we may not even know how many people came out.
”If we say people turned out very low here, but it might not be so over there because they were not kept at the polling unit,” she said on Saturday.
She noted that, although many polling units outside urban areas were inaccessible, the sensitive and non-sensitive materials eventually reached their destinations.
The LASIEC chief also said the commission overcame logistical difficulties in some parts of the state.
