Labour Party and PDP accuse APC of election violence in Lagos, ahead of July 2025 council polls. APC denies, urges rivals to fix internal party crises

[dropcap]L[/dropcap]agos council election violence is already stirring tension ahead of the July 12, 2025 polls, as opposition parties accuse the ruling All Progressives Congress of planning to unleash chaos in a repeat of the 2023 presidential election scenario.

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The Labour Party and Peoples Democratic Party in Lagos State allege that the APC’s electoral strategy is built on intimidation and ballot snatching, not popular support.

But the ruling party has denied the accusations and described both opposition parties as weak and unorganised.

The Labour Party spokesperson in Lagos, Ife Salako, said the APC lacks any democratic strategy to win at the local government level and is banking on fear to deter voter turnout.

“Now it is clear, even the guys on the street that they use to commit these atrocities have said they are not going to be used for such things again,” Salako said.

He added that the LP is working to ensure that its supporters are no longer intimidated and that voter mobilisation efforts are already underway to secure victory.

On the PDP’s relevance in Lagos, Salako dismissed the party’s influence, calling it “dead” and claiming that its role in the state’s politics is negligible.

“You can’t talk about peace and be talking about APC. As far as Lagos is concerned, PDP isn’t a functioning party.

APC has no strategy to win the election; the only strategy they have is to be violent, rig, and snatch the ballot box,” he said.

In response, the Deputy Chairman of the PDP in Lagos, Tai Benedict, refuted the LP’s dismissive remarks, stating that PDP remains an active political force and that defections from the LP into the PDP show where real strength lies.

“PDP is functioning in Lagos. Some members of the Labour Party still defected to our party last week. The Labour Party has been able to win elections in Lagos because of the PDP,” Benedict asserted.

He also urged the Lagos State Independent Electoral Commission, LASIEC, to ensure a free and fair process during the polls, warning that history would not forget any acts of bias or malpractice.

However, the APC’s Publicity Secretary, Seye Oladejo, dismissed both parties’ statements as “excuses.” He claimed the opposition had no real presence in Lagos politics and accused them of spreading misinformation.

“Technically, we can say their parties are just names on paper. We don’t even know which factions of the PDP or LP are speaking,” Oladejo said.

He further challenged the opposition’s readiness, suggesting they would struggle to present agents for the election.

“We are talking about parties that will struggle to have agents during the election. Why should parties be talking about violence or rigging when they have no supporters? It’s ridiculous,” he said.

With local government elections scheduled to hold in the 20 LGAs and 37 LCDAs of the state, LASIEC has formally begun the process, announcing the election date as July 12, 2025.

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Amid the war of words, Lagosians watch closely to see if the process will reflect their will—or repeat old patterns of political violence and voter suppression.