Lagos LG polls: Conducting exercise in 20 LGAs, 37 LCDAs will be nullity — Ex-minister Olanrewaju

Ahead of local government polls holding in Lagos State in July 12, 2025, former Minister of Communications, Major General Tajudeen Olanrewaju (Rtd), on Sunday said it is unconstitutional to conduct elections in 20 constitutionally recognised LGAs and unconstitutionally recognised 37 LCDAs in Lagos State, declaring that such would be a nullity should any of the participating parties challenge its in court.

Olanrewaju, a prominent Lagosian gave this position in reaction to point raised by the Chairmanship Candidate of Youth Party (YP) for Eti-Osa Local Government Area, Hon. Ayodele Adio, against alleged plans by Lagos State Independent Electoral Commission (LASIEC), to conduct elections into 37 LCDAs not recognized by the 1999 Constitution.

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It would be recalled that Adio had urged the state electoral umpire not to be the same creature of the law and at the same time be the agent of ruling All Progressive Congress (APC) class to commit infractions of the law by conducting elections into the illegal LCDAs.

“I say this because, if indeed those 37 LCDAs are recognised by law, Hon. Jimi Benson, and Hon. Faleke, who represents Ikeja constituency will not be sponsoring an amendment in the National Assembly to recognize the 37 LCDAs as legitimate local governments in Lagos,” he said.

The former minister, who is a former General Officer Commanding (GOC) 3 Division Nigeria Army, insisted that the only 20 local governments were recognized in Lagos State and listed in the Amended 1999 Constitution, saying that it would be unconstitutional for anyone to conduct elections in any of the 37 LCDAs in Lagos State, which were not recognized by the nation’s constitution.

“It is unconstitutional to conduct elections in 20 constitutionally recognised LGAs and unconstitutionally recognised 37 LCDAs in Lagos State. This election will be a nullity if any of the participating parties should challenge the conduct of the election in the court. The only recognized 20 Local Governments in Lagos State are listed in the Amended 1999 Constitution.

“If elections were to be conducted in 20 constitutionally recognised LGAs, indigenes would form 90 percentage of the contestants. With an additional 37 LCDAs, the indigenes have been schemed out of contest.

“It is obvious now that the state indigenes have lost their patrimony. I think one of the participating parties can go to court and challenge the status quo. Can’t this course of action be taken?” he said.

Olanrewaju, therefore, urged that those indigenes who were screened out of the race by the ruling party could go to other parties and challenge what he termed the “nonchalant anomaly,” even as he noted that those who claimed they were fighting the cause of the indigenes “from within cannot beat their chests at this chequered moment.”