LAGOS APC VOWS TO PREVENT ELECTION RIGGING, CITES STUDY ON 2023 POLL IRREGULARITIES

The Lagos State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has declared that it will not allow the opposition to rig future elections in Nigeria, while rejecting claims that it was solely responsible for alleged irregularities during the 2023 general elections, citing a recent independent statistical analysis which it said challenges the narrative.
The APC spokesperson in Lagos State, Seye Oladejo, said the study conducted as part of a Data Science master’s thesis at Pan-Atlantic University analyzed election results from more than 123,000 polling units nationwide.
According to Oladejo, the analysis found that electoral irregularities were not limited to one political party.
The party said the study showed that the highest concentration of statistically significant anomalies occurred in areas regarded as strongholds of the Labour Party, particularly in parts of the South-East.
It noted that while Lagos State recorded an anomaly rate of 2.3 per cent, higher rates were observed in other states, including Anambra with 24.9 per cent, Enugu with 16.7 per cent and Imo with 10.9 per cent.
The APC further stated that the report identified a disproportionate number of “perfect scores” in Labour Party strongholds, describing such vote distributions as statistically suspicious.
Oladejo said the findings undermine allegations that the 2023 elections were rigged by the Federal Government or the ruling party, further adding that the study suggested electoral malpractice during the polls followed “opportunity rather than ideology,” implying that some parties alleging rigging may themselves have benefited from irregular practices.
While acknowledging the report’s conclusion that the 2023 general elections were neither completely fraudulent nor entirely free of irregularities, the party argued that malpractice had become more subtle and would require closer scrutiny ahead of future elections.
The party also expressed support for electoral reforms, including independent audits of election data, real-time transmission of results, improved technical capacity for the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), and the prosecution of electoral offenders regardless of party affiliation.
It further reaffirmed its commitment to safeguarding the integrity of Nigeria’s electoral process before, during and after future elections.