The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has stated that its participation in Saturday’s local government elections in Lagos State aligns with a recent Supreme Court judgment affirming the autonomy of Nigeria’s constitutionally recognized local government areas.
According to the Lagos State Independent Electoral Commission (LASIEC), elections were held across the 20 constitutionally recognized local government areas and 37 local council development areas (LCDAs).
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Out of the 19 political parties that initially indicated interest, only 15 submitted candidate lists for the polls.
ADC Chairman in Lagos, Mr. George Ashiru, explained that the party’s engagement in the elections was motivated by the apex court’s 2024 decision affirming the constitutional status of Nigeria’s 774 local governments, including those 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 said that though the party initially had reservations about the elections, internal pressures from members and aspirants eventually led to their participation. “In the beginning, we were against participation but our members and aspirants insisted on participating, especially those who felt that have strength in some areas,” he said.
Ashiru reiterated the ADC’s commitment to upholding constitutional principles and urged LASIEC to conduct the elections transparently. “At the end of this election, people will rate the commission because, ideally, parties win in their areas of strength,” he added.
Reports also confirm that the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) is contesting all 57 local councils and 376 wards.
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) fielded candidates in 45 councils and 259 wards, while the Labour Party is contesting 22 chairmanship and 130 councillorship seats. The Zenith Labour Party is contesting six chairmanship and 21 councillorship positions.
Other participating parties include Accord, African Action Alliance, Allied People’s Movement, All Progressives Grand Alliance, Social Democratic Party, National Rescue Movement, Young Progressives Party, Youth Party, Action Peoples Party, and the ADC.
 has stated that its participation in Saturday’s local government elections in Lagos State aligns with a recent Supreme Court judgment affirming the autonomy of Nigeria’s constitutionally recognized local government areas.){kind=link}