As the residents of Lagos are excited to have the state’s local government elections, slated to be held on July 12 and July 19, for the possibility of a rerun, there is a need to examine the preparation of the political parties that will be participating in the polls. According to the Lagos State Independent Electoral
As the residents of Lagos are excited to have the state’s local government elections, slated to be held on July 12 and July 19, for the possibility of a rerun, there is a need to examine the preparation of the political parties that will be participating in the polls.
According to the Lagos State Independent Electoral Commission (LASIEC), the elections would be held across the twenty local government areas and 37 Local Council Development Areas (LCDAs), making 57 chairmanship seats and 376 councillorship positions up for contest across the wards in the state.
Map of Lagos State
The state electoral body also announced that, as the current officeholders’ terms are coming to an end, intending candidates can begin their campaigns on April 18 and run until July 9, giving political parties nearly three months to showcase themselves and their plans to the people of Lagos.
Following the announcement of the polls, the LASIEC faced opposition. One of the prominent voices against the state electoral body was from the Intra-Party Advisory Council (IPAC) in Lagos State, which faulted the electoral body for failing to consult it before the release of the guidelines for the local government elections.
IPAC, in its statement, then accused LASIEC of operating in secrecy without clarifying the judgement of the Supreme Court on local government autonomy, which raised questions about the legitimacy of the creation of the 37 LCDAs and whether the body has the legal backing to conduct elections in such a situation.
While the Lagos State electoral body clarified its position, stating that the State House of Assembly has ratified the law to enable the body to conduct the election, some political parties also expressed their grievances with the cost of the administrative fee the body is demanding for the registration of their candidates for the election.
From its argument, IPAC insisted that LASIEC must learn how to engage and communicate with the political parties just like the Independent National Electoral Commission to have a transparent and smooth election, which will provide a level playing ground for all participating political parties without any signs of favouritism to any party.
Despite the fracas between LASIEC and political parties, all sides have prepared, as some parties have held primary elections to elect their candidates, and some parties have already completed the process, as their campaign fliers and posters can be seen on the megacity’s streets.
APC Primary Elections Trailed by Petitions
As the ruling party in the state, the All Progressives Congress has shown the signs of preparedness ahead of other political parties, as the party has conducted its primary elections to elect their candidates for the local government elections in the state.
The party, in its official release of the names of its chairmanship and vice chairmanship candidates for the July 12 government elections, noted that it selected some of the candidates via consensus, while some were elected by delegates at the primary elections conducted at its state secretariat in ACME in Ikeja on May 10th.
But the election process did not happen without its controversy, as the Appeal Committee of the party received over 100 petitions from aggrieved aspirants for the local government chairmanship and councillorship positions with the claims of marginalisation and imposition of candidates on the local government, notably in Agege and Ojokoro.
Some of the aggrieved aspirants also complained about the transparency of the primary elections of the party to choose the candidates to represent the party in the local election, stating it was a threat to the principle of the democratic process and it could set a wrong precedent for the party’s activities in the future.
Meanwhile, the party’s appeal committee has promised to mediate and reconcile the aggrieved members. In the meantime, the elected candidates have already started pasting their campaign posters across the state.
PDP Consensus Primary Elections
The Peoples Democratic Party in Lagos has demonstrated its willingness to run in the local government election by holding primary elections to select candidates for the chairmanship and councillorship positions.
The party’s primary election was held on May 17 across all the local governments and council areas in the state in their respective local government secretariats. While the party has yet to publicise the names of its candidates across the state, this development is an indicator of its preparation.
Drama, Division in Labour Party as Three Factions Grapple for LG Elections Candidate
The national division and controversy in the camp of the Labour Party at the national level over the legitimate faction seem to be affecting its Lagos chapter, as LASIEC announced during the week that it was invited to observe three different primary elections by the party.
This development is not unrelated to the Labour Party’s ongoing internal crisis, as Julius Abure, the party chairman, is being ousted by some prominent members of the party, including the party’s presidential candidate in the 2023 election, Mr Peter Obi, causing division within the party.
However, the Lagos State chairperson of the party, Mrs Dayo Ekong, asked the public to ignore the other factions of the party and urged LASIEC to work with her leadership as instructed by INEC.
As a result, following its conference, the Labour Party announced that it would field 26 candidates for the Lagos State local government elections. The party chairperson also stated on Saturday, May 17, that the primaries were held in only 26 of Lagos State’s 57 councils and that the party would not field candidates in 30 councils due to strategic reasons.
Youth Party Considers One Party Member, One Vote for Candidates’ Selection.
Contrary to the conventional delegates or consensus method of selecting candidates for the local government elections, the Youth Party has announced that it would adopt a One Member, One Vote style to choose its candidates for the chairmanship and councillorship seats in the Lagos local government elections.
The party announced through the Acting National Secretary, Helen Adoh, that while there will be full adherence to the electoral laws both at the federal and state levels, the party would ignore the use of delegates or superdelegates, as the voting would be done electronically via online platforms and SMS, ensuring convenience, security, and secrecy in line with legal requirements.
AAC Selects Candidates Simultaneously Across LGAs.
In the same vein, the African Action Congress has shown its preparedness for the July 12 local government elections, as it held its primary for the poll on Saturday, 17th, 2025, across the local governments.
The party, despite expressing its grouse against LASIEC’s method of operation and threat to boycott the elections if they are not heard, went ahead to coordinate its selection process, which was conducted simultaneously across the local government under the supervision of the party officials.
