PRESS STATEMENT BY THE FORUM OF THE PDP LOCAL GOVT CHAIRMEN IN LAGOS STATE, ON THE TRAVESTY OF DEMOCRACY: THE SHAM LOCAL GOVERNMENT COUNCIL POLLS OF JULY 12, 2025
Date: July 14, 2025.
Fellow Lagosians, Compatriots, and Gentlemen of the Press.
It is with a deep sense of duty and righteous indignation that we, The Forum of Chairmen of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Lagos Local Government Areas address you on the monumental electoral fraud, daylight robbery, and assault on democracy that occurred on Saturday 12th July 2025 Local Government Council elections in Lagos State.
What transpired on Saturday 12th July, 2025, was not an election. It was an orchestrated charade, a criminal conspiracy, and a coordinated attack on the sovereign will of the people, executed by the APC-led Lagos State Government in connivance with compromised officials of the Lagos State Independent Electoral Commission (LASIEC).
A WELL-PLANNED CONSPIRACY TO SUBVERT DEMOCRACY
From the onset, it was clear that the APC had no intention of participating in a free and fair electoral contest. Instead, they activated their rigging machinery long before the first ballot was cast. What followed on election day was a shameful desecration of the democratic process:
In broad daylight, APC-sponsored thugs brazenly invaded multiple polling units, snatching ballot boxes in the full glare of the public, and assaulted voters who dared to resist. These acts of thuggery occurred under the watch of security agencies and LASIEC officials, who turned a blind eye or outrightly aided the attackers.
In many areas across the state identified as PDP’s strongholds, there were ballot box stuffing on unimaginable scale. Pre-thumbprinted ballot papers were carted into polling units in bags, and LASIEC officials either stood aside helplessly or actively colluded in legitimizing these fraudulent votes.
In some local governments, our party agents were harassed, chased away, and denied access to collation centres, while results sheets were doctored and pre-filled in favour of APC candidates, even before voting was concluded. The manipulation of figures was so crude and desperate that in some wards, total votes exceeded the number of registered voters.
In all PDP strongholds in the state, election materials were deliberately delayed, while some never arrived, and where they did, it was with incomplete documentation—designed to frustrate our supporters and suppress voter turnout.
LASIEC HAS LOST ITS CREDIBILITY.
LASIEC, the supposed umpire, has lost all moral standing and constitutional credibility to call itself an impartial umpire. By serving as an appendage to the APC’s rigging operation, LASIEC betrayed the sacred trust reposed in it by the people of Lagos State. Its officials were not just complicit—they were active participants in the systematic sabotage of the electoral process.
OUR MESSAGE TO THE PEOPLE
To the courageous people of Lagos State, who inspire of the encumbrances came out to perform their civic duty but met with violence, deceit, and betrayal—we doff our hats to you and salute your courage.
This is not just a PDP matter. It is a matter of justice, equity, and fairness. It is a clarion call for the protection of our democracy in Nigeria. If we allow this travesty to go unchallenged, we risk institutionalizing anti-democracy tendencies like rigging as a culture and silencing the voice of the people.
OUR NEXT STEPS
Let it be made abundantly clear that the PDP will not recognize this fraudulent election or any of its so-called “winners.” We have compiled detailed evidence, eyewitness testimonies, video recordings, and official anomalies to challenge and retrieve our stolen mandate through available civilised legal means.
We are also calling on:
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), to launch an inquiry into LASIEC’s operations.
We also call on Civil society groups, international observers, and democracy watchdogs to speak out against this tyranny.
The Nigerian Judiciary should rise above political compromise to uphold the sanctity of the law.
Finally, the Nigerian people, especially the youth, to understand that their silence today will only embolden these enemies of democracy tomorrow.
CONCLUSION
The APC in Lagos State has shown once again that it fears the ballot box more than anything else. Its hold on power is built not party’s popularity, but on intimidation, fraud, and manipulations. But the tide of history is turning.
We in the PDP are resolved, unshaken, and prepared for the long march to reclaim the dignity of our people and restore electoral integrity in Lagos State.
This fraud will not stand.
This injustice will not endure.
The will of the people will eventually prevail.
Signed,
Forum of Lagos PDP LGA Chairmen .
14th July 2025.
