LASIEC: NO POLITICAL PARTY BARRED FROM PARTICIPATING IN JULY 12 LAGOS COUNCIL POLLS

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By Aishat Momoh. O.

The Lagos State Independent Electoral Commission (LASIEC) has affirmed that no political party is barred from contesting in the forthcoming local government elections scheduled for Saturday, July 12, 2025.

Chairperson of the Commission, Justice Mobolanle Okikiolu-Ighile, made this known while addressing speculation that the Labour Party had been disqualified from the poll due to its ongoing internal leadership crisis.

“There is no court order restraining any political party from participating,” Justice Okikiolu-Ighile clarified. “INEC recognised the faction led by Pastor Dayo Ekong, and that is the group we have interacted with.”

She added that although LASIEC is currently facing 15 legal cases, none of them has halted the election process.

Responding to claims that the election date falls short of the constitutionally required 30-day window following the expiration of the current officials’ tenure, the LASIEC boss maintained that nothing legally obstructs the Commission from conducting the polls as planned.

“There’s nothing in the law that says elections cannot be held in the 37 Local Council Development Areas (LCDAs),” she stressed.

Justice Okikiolu-Ighile also disclosed that BVAS (Bimodal Voter Accreditation System) will not be deployed for the election, but noted that “some electronics” would still be used to aid the process, alongside manual methods.

She acknowledged the historically low voter turnout associated with local government elections but expressed hope that increased public awareness and confidence in LASIEC would result in greater participation this year.

“We are prepared. We have done our part. Now, we call on all Lagosians to come out and vote peacefully,” she urged.

The Lagos council elections will be conducted across the 20 Local Government Areas and 37 LCDAs.