Lagos Life runs a real election, not a background detail: one race a game week for the office of Governor of Lagos, decided by an in-game count, with the winner's single policy running the city until the next vote. You get one ballot, you can only cast it in person, and it is worth more than a gesture. This guide covers where to vote, when the polls shut, who is standing, and exactly what each winner changes.
Where do you vote?
The race is settled at Polling Unit 001, on Lagos Island. The venue is open all day, and the same unit is reachable from the Politics app on the in-game phone, which shows whether you are accredited, whether you have voted, and — during a count — the votes as they come in.
How do you cast a ballot?
Two steps, both at the polling unit, in this order:
- Get Accredited at the accreditation desk — a five-minute job, and the desk refuses you twice.
- Cast Your Vote at the voting cubicle or the desk. Pick your candidate, and the ballot is in.
Until you are accredited the game refuses the ballot with Get accredited first, and once you have voted in a cycle it refuses a second ballot. Afterwards, Show Off Your Inked Thumb is there for the photo and a little Charisma.
When do the polls close?
The polls are open through the whole week and shut on Sunday at 8pm. From that moment the count runs into the night — about four hours of it — and the winner is declared on Monday morning, when their policy takes hold for the week ahead. Miss the Sunday deadline and the week is decided without your vote in it.
Who is on the ballot?
| Candidate | Party | Slogan | Policy if elected |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adebayo Ogunlesi | Progressive Congress | Light, roads, and no excuses. | Minimum wage raise |
| Chidinma Okafor | Peoples Alliance | Make Lagos work for everybody. | Transport subsidy |
| Musa Bello | Labour Movement | The market first, always. | Food subsidy |
| Funke Adeoye | Reform Party | Steady light, steady life. | Steady light |
| Obiora Nwosu | New Lagos Front | Bring back the owambe. | Owambe season |
What does the winner's policy change?
One winner, one policy, running for the week that follows the declaration. This is the whole table:
| Policy | Effect for the week |
|---|---|
| Transport subsidy | Danfo and keke fares are half price |
| Minimum wage raise | Everyone earns 15% more per shift |
| Owambe season | Fun at places around Lagos is 30% stronger |
| Food subsidy | Groceries and food are 30% cheaper |
| Steady light | NEPA cuts are shorter and rarer |
The practical ones are easy to feel. A transport week makes a commute-heavy routine cheaper, a wage week makes every shift pay more than usual, and a steady-light week keeps the flat powered through the hours NEPA would otherwise take — the light guide explains what an outage stops and what a generator does about it.
Does your vote matter?
Yes, and the game is explicit about it: your ballot carries the weight of a ward — 420 votes — on top of each candidate's own base count, which is why the race is worth turning out for. Base counts are drawn per cycle, so the field is different every week and a close race really can come down to a single polling unit. Past results are kept, so the Politics app remembers who won and which policy they ran.
What else is at the polling unit?
- Watch the Live Count — the results board during the Sunday-night count.
- Argue About the Results — the Lagos tradition, and good for Charisma.
- Gist in the Queue — the line is long, and the gist is free.
- Show Off Your Inked Thumb — the photograph, once the ink is on.
If you want the wider picture of where the day goes, the beginner guide covers the six meters and the Saturday rent, and the guides index lists everything else.
Questions people ask
Can I vote more than once in Lagos Life?
No — one ballot per cycle. Get accredited, cast your vote, and the desk refuses a second.
Do I have to be accredited to vote?
Yes. Cast Your Vote is refused with "Get accredited first" until the accreditation desk has registered you for the cycle.
When does the winner's policy take effect?
The polls close Sunday at 8pm, the count runs about four hours into Sunday night, and the winner is declared on Monday morning. Their policy then runs for the week that follows.