ADC fields candidates in 20 LGAs for Lagos council elections

The African Democratic Congress (ADC) on Saturday announced its participation in the Lagos State local government council elections, fielding candidates in all 20 constitutionally recognised Local Government Areas (LGAs) in accordance with a 2024 Supreme Court judgment affirming local government autonomy.

Speaking on Saturday with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), the Lagos State Chairman of the ADC, Mr. George Ashiru, explained that the party’s decision was guided by the Supreme Court’s reaffirmation of the 774 LGAs enshrined in Nigeria’s Constitution, including the 20 recognised 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.

Although the Lagos State Independent Electoral Commission (LASIEC) is conducting elections across 20 LGAs and 37 Local Council Development Areas (LCDAs), Ashiru emphasized that the ADC remains committed to upholding the rule of law and constitutional provisions.

“Initially, we were reluctant to participate, but our members and aspirants pushed for involvement, especially in areas where they believed they had political strength,” he noted. “Ultimately, the party resolved to comply strictly with the Constitution.”

Ashiru also called on LASIEC to ensure a transparent and credible election process. “At the end of this election, people will judge the credibility of LASIEC, because ideally, parties should win in areas where they have strong grassroots support,” he added.

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According to LASIEC, only 15 out of the 19 political parties that initially signaled interest in the elections submitted candidate lists ahead of the polls. A total of 15 political parties are participating in the elections.

The ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) is contesting in all 57 local councils and 376 wards, while the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is fielding candidates in 45 councils and 259 wards.

The Labour Party has 22 chairmanship and 130 councillorship candidates, while the Zenith Labour Party is contesting six chairmanship and 21 councillorship seats.

Other participating parties 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), and Action Peoples Party (APP).

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