The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has announced that it is presenting candidates in all 20 constitutionally recognized Local Government Areas (LGAs) of Lagos State for Saturday’s local government elections, in line with a recent Supreme Court ruling.
According to DAILY POST, the Lagos State Independent Electoral Commission (LASIEC) is overseeing elections across 20 LGAs and 37 Local Council Development Areas (LCDAs). Out of the 18 political parties registered in the state, 15 are participating in the polls.
LASIEC documents show that only 15 of the 19 parties that initially expressed interest ultimately submitted lists of candidates ahead of the election.
ADC Lagos State Chairman, Mr. George Ashiru, said the party’s participation in the 20 LGAs is based on the Supreme Court’s 2024 judgment affirming the constitutional autonomy and recognition of Nigeria’s 774 LGAs, including the 20 in Lagos.
“In accordance with the Supreme Court’s decision on local government autonomy, we are focusing our campaign and candidate placements only in the 20 constitutionally recognized LGAs,” Ashiru stated.
He emphasized ADC’s commitment to the rule of law and the constitution in its political approach.
“At first, the party considered not participating, but many members and aspirants urged us to contest, particularly those confident in their grassroots support,” he explained.
Ashiru also called on LASIEC to ensure a transparent and fair electoral process.
“At the end of the day, the credibility of this election will be judged by how fairly LASIEC conducts it. Ideally, every party should be able to win in their strongholds,” he said.
As reported by NAN, the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) remains the most dominant force in the race, fielding candidates across all 57 local councils and 376 wards. The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) follows with candidates in 45 councils and 259 wards.
The Labour Party has presented candidates for 22 chairmanship and 130 councillorship positions, while the Zenith Labour Party is fielding six chairmanship and 21 councillorship hopefuls.
Other parties with approved candidate lists according to LASIEC include: Accord, African Action Alliance (AAA), Allied People’s Movement (APM), All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Social Democratic Party (SDP), National Rescue Movement (NRM), Young Progressives Party (YPP), Youth Party (YP), Action Peoples Party (APP), and the ADC.