Politics
LG ELECTION: Lagosians head to polls today for LG, councillorship elections
About 7,060,195 registered voters in Lagos State, Nigeria’s economic nerve centre and revenue powerhouse, head to the polls today, Saturday, July 12, 2025, to elect their preferred representatives into chairmanship, vice-chairmanship and councillorship positions across the 20 local government areas (LGAs) and 37 local council development areas (LCDAs) in the state.
This comes exactly one year after a landmark Supreme Court ruling on local government autonomy in Nigeria.
Politically, Lagos is of keen interest to many Nigerians, being the home state of President Bola Tinubu, who once ruled the state as governor for eight years (1999-2007) and who is reckoned by many as the Jagaban of Bourdillon or the godfather of Lagos politics.
Lagos, located in the Southwest zone of Nigeria, houses over 20 million residents and stands tall as the country’s internally generated revenue leader, generating ₦1.3 trillion in revenue in 2024.
Lagos, Nigeria’s largest city, sprawls inland from the Gulf of Guinea across Lagos Lagoon.
The state is home to the headquarters of most financial institutions, telecoms companies, international oil companies, international and local airports, seaports, as well as the hub of phone markets, wares, among others.
As politicians jostle to occupy much-coveted public offices across the state, today, the process will be overseen by the Lagos State Independent Electoral Commission (LASIEC).
Whilst the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) organises federal and state elections, the state electoral commission handles local government polls.
LASIEC Chairman, Justice Bola Okikiolu-Ighile, said no political party was restrained from participating in the elections.
Data from the body shows that 15 out of the 19 registered political parties in the country have been confirmed for the chairmanship, vice chairmanship and councillorship positions in the 20 LGAs and the 37 LCDAs in the state.
Unlike the general elections, Justice Okikiolu-Ighile confirmed that LASIEC won’t use the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) during the election.
Instead, he said, “there are some electronics that we are going to use in between. We can go manual.”
She acknowledged that low voter turnout has traditionally plagued local council elections nationwide but expressed optimism that the commission’s outreach efforts and growing public trust would lead to increased participation this time.
“We are ready. We have worked hard. Now, we urge Lagosians to come out and vote peacefully,” she said.
Politics
INEC Says 157 Associations Fail Party Registration
The electoral body stressed that the interim chairmen and secretaries of the pre-qualified associations had been invited to a briefing next Wednesday at the commission’s headquarters in Abuja.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) declared that 157 out of 171 associations, which applied to be registered as political parties, failed registration requirements.
In a statement, INEC National Commissioner and Chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee, Sam Olumekun, said that only 14 associations met the requirements, and they had been cleared to proceed to the next stage of the registration process.
The electoral body stressed that the interim chairmen and secretaries of the pre-qualified associations had been invited to a briefing next Wednesday at the commission’s headquarters in Abuja.
The 14 associations that scaled the first hurdle, according to INEC, were African Transformation Party (ATP), All Democratic Alliance (ADA), Advance Nigeria Congress (ANC), Abundance Social Party (ASP), African Alliance Party (APP), Citizens Democratic Alliance (CDA).
Others were Democratic Leadership Alliance (DLA), Grassroots Initiative Party (GRIP), Green Future Party (GFP), Liberation Peoples Party (LPP), National Reform Party (NRP), Patriotic Peoples Alliance (PPA), and Peoples Freedom Party (PFP).
The associations that failed to meet the requirements included African Alliance Party (AAP), National Advancement Party (NAP), Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC),
The Nigerian Covenant (TNC), Democracy for Dividends Party (DDP), National Coalition of Democrats, African Renaissance Party (ARP), Peoples Interest Movement (PIM), Rescue Party (RP), and Guardian Democratic Party (GDP).
Also on the list, INEC said, were Save Nigeria Congress (SNC), National Democratic Liberation Party (NDLP), National Action Congress of Nigeria (NACN), Peoples Supremacy Party, African Future Alliance (AFAP) Party, Freedom Alliance Party (FAP), and People’s Community Development Party (PCDP).
Politics
INEC clears ADC party for 2027 election
With this formal endorsement, the ADC leadership is expected to commence a nationwide reconciliation and mobilisation effort, as the party seeks to strengthen its presence across the country ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on Wednesday recognised Senator David Mark and Rauf Aregbesola as National Chairman and National Secretary, respectively, of the African Democratic Congress (ADC).
News Tellers report that alongside Mark and Aregbesola, other principal officers now officially acknowledged by INEC include Dr. Ibrahim Mani as National Treasurer, Akibu Dalhatu as National Financial Secretary, and Professor Oserheimen Aigberaodion Osunbor as National Legal Adviser.
The Commission had since posted the names coalition executives on its website.
With this formal endorsement, the ADC leadership is expected to commence a nationwide reconciliation and mobilisation effort, as the party seeks to strengthen its presence across the country ahead of the 2027 general elections.
David Mark had emerged as interim National Chairman last July at an elaborate ceremony held at Yar’Adua Conference Centre in Abuja, following the resignation of the immediate past National Chairman of the party, Ralph Nwosu.
Violence erupted on Saturday in Lagos during the planned declaration of Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour, the Labour Party’s former governorship candidate, into the African Democratic Congress (ADC).
Suspected thugs, allegedly backed by security operatives, disrupted the event, attacking supporters and injuring Rhodes-Vivour’s personal photographer and aid.
Eyewitnesses report that police, accompanied by armed groups, blocked access to the planned venue for Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour’s ADC declaration, despite prior payment.
Rhodes-Vivour was reportedly informed that the order came “from above,” directing him to seek resolution with the Police Commissioner.
The area was heavily militarized overnight, with soldiers and DSS operatives joining the police to restrict movement.
The actions against Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour’s planned ADC declaration have ignited outrage among his supporters, who perceive the incident as a deliberate attempt to thwart his move.
Sources indicate that Peter Obi, the 2023 Labour Party presidential candidate, was expected to attend the event.
The disruption follows reports of violence against ADC supporters in various locations across the country.
Watch the moment Rhodes Vivour’s aid was beaten as police, thugs frustrate ADC declaration:
JUST IN: FBI Releases Video of Charlie Kirk Shooter, Recovers Weapons Nearby (Photos)
IBADAN: Early Morning Fire Destroys Shops, Millions Lost in Property
Burkina Faso Grants Visa-Free Entry to All African Nationals
Tech Expert, Zuckerberg trains with UFC champions, Adesanya, Alexander
Organ Trafficking: Ekweremadu bags 10 years in UK prison
SAINT OBI: Between his marriage and his death
-
International3 days agoTragedy as Pilot Dies in Light Plane Crash in South Australia
-
News2 days ago15 die While Returning from Jehovah’s Witnesses Convention
-
Crime3 days agoBerlin Power Grid Attack Leaves 43,000 Homes in the Dark
-
International1 day agoTrump vows to hunts down killers of Charlie Kirk, global leaders react
-
News3 days agoNew Seme Customs Chief Pledges Improved Trade Flow
-
Business3 days agoTanker Owners Accuse NUPENG of Extortion, Excessive Levies
-
Crime3 days agoPolice Investigate Body Discovered in Vehicle at National Assembly Complex
-
Business1 day agoFacebook, Others Pay Nigerian Govt N600bn VAT