Lagos LG polls: APC okays 432 chairmanship aspirants for primaries

Ahead of the 12 July 2025 Local Government polls in Lagos State, the Electoral Committee of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) has released the official list of chairmanship aspirants, containing 432 individuals cleared to contest in the party’s forthcoming primary elections.

It will be recalled that the Lagos State Independent Electoral Commission (LASIEC) had scheduled elections for chairmanship and 376 councillorship seats in the legislative arm of the 20 Local Government Areas (LGAs) and 37 Local Council Development Areas (LCDAs) for 12 July 2025.

Meanwhile, the screening exercise was conducted at the party’s secretariat on Acme Road, Ogba, between Tuesday, 29 April and Friday, 3 May.

Former National Legal Adviser of the party and one-time member of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Hon. Babatunde Ogala, was appointed chairman of the Electoral Committee, while Mr Babarinde Nurudeen was named secretary.

The committee, according to the party, is empowered to oversee all activities and processes leading to the conduct of the elections into positions across the 57 council areas in the state.

It was gathered that out of the 470 aspirants screened, 432 were cleared to contest in the primary elections, while 38 were disqualified or voluntarily withdrew from the race.

Among those who voluntarily withdrew from the race was Abdul-Ganiyu Obasa, son of the Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Mudashiru Obasa.

Speaking on the disqualifications, the committee stated that they were primarily due to a lack of Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs), missing APC membership cards, and falsified secondary school certificates.

It disclosed that indirect primaries, where executive members across the 20 LGAs and 37 LCDAs will vote based on APC guidelines, will be held on Saturday, 10 May 2025, stating that disqualified aspirants have an opportunity to file an appeal between Sunday, 4 May and Monday, 5 May. Those who wish to contest the outcome of the primaries can submit petitions to the Appeal Committee between 12 and 13 May.

Speaking on the screening exercise, Ogala described it as “thorough, rigorous and challenging,” affirming that all cleared aspirants possess the capacity to deliver quality governance at the grassroots level if elected.

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