The chairman of the ADC in Lagos State, George Ashir, said the party has fielded candidates in all 20 constitutionally recognised Local Government Areas (LGAs).
The move, according to the party, is rooted in the 2024 Supreme Court verdict affirming the constitutional autonomy of Nigeria’s 774 local governments.
“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,” Chairman of the ADC in Lagos State, George Ashiru said.
The party was initially hesitant to participate but reversed its position following growing internal pressure.
“In the beginning, we were against participation, but our members and aspirants insisted on participating, especially those who felt they had strength in some areas.
“The party chose to abide by the constitution and focus our participation on the recognised councils.” the Lagos state ADC chairman revealed
Ashiru also urged the Lagos State Independent Electoral Commission (LASIEC) to uphold integrity in the polls.
“At the end of this election, people will rate the commission because, ideally, parties win in their areas of strength,” he added.
According to LASIEC documentation, only 15 of the 19 political parties that initially signalled interest met the criteria to field candidates.
The local government elections are scheduled to take place across the 20 LGAs and 37 Local Council Development Areas (LCDAs) in Lagos.
Among the participating parties, the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) is fielding candidates across all 57 local councils and 376 wards. The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) follows closely, contesting in 45 councils and 259 wards.
The Labour Party has candidates for 22 chairmanship and 130 councillorship positions, while the Zenith Labour Party will contest in six chairmanship and 21 councillorship slots.
Other parties listed by 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), and Action Peoples Party (APP).