Residents of Lagos State will head to the polls today, July 12, to elect chairmen, vice chairmen, and councillors across the state’s 20 Local Government Areas (LGAs) and 37 Local Council Development Areas (LCDAs), as the Lagos State Independent Electoral Commission (LASIEC) assures voters of a free, fair, and credible process.
LASIEC Chairperson, Justice Bola Okikiolu-Ighile (Rtd), reaffirmed the commission’s readiness, citing extensive preparations to ensure electoral integrity.
She disclosed that 57 chairmanship, 57 vice chairmanship, and 376 councillorship seats are being contested across 13,325 polling units.
Voting is scheduled from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., with provisions made for voters still on the queue at closing time.
According to LASIEC, Lagos has 7,060,195 registered voters, of which 6,214,970 have collected their Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs), while 845,225 PVCs remain uncollected.
Security has also been assured, with the Nigeria Police and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) leading operations, supported by joint military patrols such as Operation MESA.
Despite the commission’s efforts, tension marred pre-election preparations as 13 out of 15 participating political parties refused to sign a peace accord organized by LASIEC to promote a violence-free process. Only the All Progressives Congress (APC) and Youth Party (YP) endorsed the pact.
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The dissenting parties cited unresolved grievances, including LASIEC’s refusal to extend the deadline for candidate registration and lack of consultation on the electoral guidelines. Labour Party Chairperson Dayo Ekong appealed for an extension, attributing the party’s delay to internal crises, and also alleged vandalism of LP campaign materials.
Speaking on behalf of the aggrieved parties, IPAC PRO George Ashiru suggested that a new date be fixed for signing the peace accord, conditional on LASIEC’s willingness to reconsider its rules.
In a related development, civil society group Centre for Human and Socio-Economic Rights (CHSR) has petitioned the Lagos State House of Assembly to postpone the elections, criticizing the delayed implementation of the Local Government Administrative Law signed by Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu on May 7, 2025.
CHSR President, Comrade Alex Omotehinse, warned that deferring the law’s effect until August 4—after the elections—undermines democratic principles and could invite legal challenges. The group urged lawmakers to recognize the law’s effective date as May 7, insisting that failure to implement it before the elections would breach public trust and invite national and international scrutiny.
As the polls open, all eyes will be on LASIEC and security agencies to uphold their promise of a transparent and peaceful exercise.
 and 37 Local Council Development Areas (LCDAs), as the Lagos State Independent Electoral Commission (LASIEC) assures voters of a free, fair, and credible process.){kind=link}