If violence by extra-state actors on law-abiding citizens is the unofficial answer to any and every referendum in Lagos, be it in the form of elections or protests, then perhaps the Lagos State government, through the APC, needs to re-examine its grapple on power—and the heavy yet frantic costs it keeps paying to hold it.
Nigeria’s general elections have now come and gone and the results from both elections contain immutable lessons for the Nigerian political system, especially for Lagos State. The presidential election of 25 February has been described as the least participatory in Nigeria’s democratic history, after the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) reported valid votes’ of just 27 per cent of the total 93.5 million registered voters. Additionally, the gubernatorial elections of 18 March were marked by widespread violence propagated by supporters of the ruling party. As such, the initial hopeful disposition and excitement around the 2023 elections have now been dampened.
In Lagos, Nigeria’s commercial melting point, the mood preceding the elections was anxious. Buoyed by the dark memories of the #EndSARS protests and the incongruent legacy of the All Progressives Congress’s 24-year political hold on Lagos, both old and young rallied together to perform their civic obligation as guaranteed by Section 77 (2) of the 1999 Constitution. However, the promise of a free and fair election as pledged by INEC chairman, Professor Mahmoud Yakubu, was not effectively delivered to these voters...
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