- ADC says it is only contesting in the 20 constitutionally recognised LGAs based on supreme court ruling.
- The party insisted its participation is in line with 2024 judgment affirming LG autonomy and 774 recognised councils.
The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has urged the Lagos State Independent Electoral Commission (LASIEC) to ensure transparency and fairness in the today’s local government elections.
The state electoral body is conducting elections across 20 local government areas and 37 local council development areas today.
The ADC said it participated in the polls by fielding candidates in the 20 recognised local government areas.
Fifteen out of the 18 registered political parties are taking part in the elections.
A document obtained from LASIEC indicated that only 15 of the 19 political parties that earlier expressed interest submitted lists of their candidates.
The chairman of ADC in Lagos State, Mr George Ashiru, said the party’s decision was based on the 2024 Supreme Court judgement affirming local government autonomy.
He said the court upheld the constitutional recognition of the 774 local government areas across Nigeria, including the 20 in Lagos.
“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,” Ashiru said.
He added that the party remained committed to the rule of law and would adhere strictly to constitutional provisions.
He said, “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.
“The party chose to abide by the constitution and focus our participation on the recognised councils.
Ashiru also called on LASIEC to deliver credible polls that reflect the will of the people.
He said, “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 remains the most dominant party in the contest, fielding candidates in all 57 local councils and 376 wards.
The Peoples Democratic Party presented candidates in 45 councils and 259 wards.
The Labour Party fielded 22 chairmanship and 130 councillorship candidates.
The Zenith Labour Party has six chairmanship and 21 councillorship candidates.
Other parties with approved candidates include Accord, African Action Alliance, Allied People’s Movement, and All Progressives Grand Alliance.
The rest are Social Democratic Party, National Rescue Movement, Young Progressives Party, Youth Party, Action Peoples Party, and the ADC.