The African Democratic Congress is participating in Saturday’s local government elections across Lagos State’s 20 constitutionally recognized Local Government Areas, in compliance with a 2024 Supreme Court judgment on local government autonomy.
According to documents from the Lagos State Independent Electoral Commission, 15 out of 19 initially interested political parties ultimately fielded candidates for the polls covering 20 LGAs and 37 Local Council Development Areas.
ADC Lagos Chairman George Ashiru explained the party’s stance, “In line with the Supreme Court ruling on local government autonomy, we chose to focus our campaigns and field candidates only in the 20 constitutionally recognised local government areas.”
He emphasized the party’s commitment to constitutional compliance, adding, “The party chose to abide by the constitution and focus our participation on the recognised councils.”
Ashiru revealed initial reservations about participating, noting, “In the beginning, we were against participation, but our members and aspirants insisted on participating, especially those who felt that they had strength in some areas.”
He called on LASIEC to ensure transparency, stating: “At the end of this election, people will rate the commission because, ideally, parties win in their areas of strength.”
The ruling All Progressives Congress leads in participation with candidates in all 57 councils (20 LGAs and 37 LCDAs) across 376 wards. The Peoples Democratic Party follows with candidates in 45 councils and 259 wards, while Labour Party fields 22 chairmanship and 130 councillorship candidates. Smaller parties like Zenith Labour Party (6 chairmanship, 21 councillorship), Accord, and Social Democratic Party also feature in the polls.
The Supreme Court’s landmark 2024 judgment, which reaffirmed the constitutional status of Nigeria’s 774 LGAs, continues to shape electoral strategies as Lagos voters decide their grassroots leadership today.
