The All Progressives Congress (APC) has emerged victorious in the Ogun State Local Government elections, winning all 20 chairmanship positions and 236 councillorship seats, according to the official announcement by the Ogun State Independent Electoral Commission (OGSIEC) Chairman, Babatunde Osibodu.
In a live broadcast early on Sunday, Osibodu confirmed that the election saw a total of 613,156 votes cast across the state's 20 local government areas. The election, which involved participation from 19 political parties, including APC, Labour Party, PDP, and others, was widely viewed as a significant contest for local governance in the state.
Despite the clear victory for APC, the elections have sparked controversy, with several opposition parties rejecting the results and questioning the legitimacy of the process. Notably, the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) expressed doubts over the fairness of the election. Femi Aina, the party’s state chairman, accused OGSIEC of mismanaging the election and called for an investigation into what he described as a "chaotic" process. He cited reports of voters being allowed to use business cards for identification, delays in the arrival of election materials, and the lack of sufficient ballot papers as evidence of irregularities. Aina rejected the results outright and urged the state House of Assembly to summon OGSIEC officials to account for the election.
Similarly, the Labour Party’s state chairman, Lookman Jagun, condemned the election as a "sham" and joined calls for a full cancellation of the results. Jagun stated that the election was marred by numerous violations of Ogun State’s electoral laws and claimed that many residents, both in public and on media platforms, had expressed the belief that the election was neither free nor fair. The Labour Party vowed to take legal action if OGSIEC failed to annul the election.
The People’s Democratic Party (PDP) also joined the chorus of opposition criticism. Dr. Sunday Solarin, the PDP Secretary in Ogun, denounced the conduct of the election, accusing APC supporters of orchestrating violence against opposition members.
With tensions running high, the dispute over the legitimacy of the Ogun LG elections is set to continue, with opposition parties signaling their intent to challenge the results in court if necessary.
