By Peter Dansu The Lagos State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has found itself caught in a legal and political storm follo...
By Peter Dansu
The Lagos State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has found itself caught in a legal and political storm following the recent enactment of the Local Government Administration Law 2025—an ambitious reform signed by Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu aimed at reshaping grassroots governance across the state.
The law, which applies to all 20 Local Government Areas (LGAs) and 37 Local Council Development Areas (LCDAs), introduces strict new rules around tenure limits, succession, and disqualification criteria for those seeking elective council leadership positions.
A particularly contentious provision—Section 28(4)—stipulates that any Vice Chairman who assumes the role of Chairman, regardless of the duration, shall be deemed to have served a full term. This means such individuals would be disqualified from seeking two subsequent full terms in line with the state’s new term limit rules.
The first major test of the law emerged in Agbado-Oke Odo LCDA, where a former Vice Chairman was recently barred from contesting in the upcoming local elections after previously stepping into the Chairman’s role following a political transition. The ruling party cited Section 28(4) to justify the disqualification.
However, controversy erupted when a similar case in Ikosi-Isheri LCDA was treated differently. In that instance, the APC candidate also served as Vice Chairman before assuming the Chairman’s office after the incumbent passed away. She then completed the term and went on to serve a full four-year tenure. Despite this, she was cleared by the party to run again—and was even unveiled at the Lagos APC’s official campaign flag-off at the party’s state secretariat in Ikeja.
The apparent contradiction has triggered a wave of criticism from legal experts, political observers, and party members alike, who accuse the APC of double standards and selectively enforcing the new law.
“If the law disqualified a candidate in Agbado-Oke Odo for serving a deemed full term, then the same must apply to Ikosi-Isheri. Anything less undermines the integrity of the law and politicizes the reform,” a constitutional lawyer told Badagry Today.
With the July 12 local government elections fast approaching, pressure is mounting on the Lagos APC and the Ministry of Local Government and Community Affairs to provide clarity and apply the law consistently across the board.
As discontent brews and legal interpretations continue to clash, Badagry Today will closely monitor the unfolding situation and provide updates on how this pivotal legal debate shapes the political landscape in the days ahead.
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