Lagos State has 20 local governments and 37 local development areas.

Each local government area is administered by a Local Government Council consisting of a chairman who is the Chief Executive of the LGA.

The Lagos State Independent Electoral Commission (LASIEC) fixed July 22 for the council polls and July 29 for a possible run-off.

LASIEC says it will announce results of the July 22 local council polls at ward collation centres.

The Chairman of the commission is Justice Ayotunde Phillips.

The Vacuum

There was supposed to be an election in 2014 but the election couldn’t hold, as LASIEC said the voters register needed to be updated because it was last used in 2011 and could not be used again by the electorate. Since then, sole-administrators have been chosen to run the administration of the local government areas.

The Controversies

On May 29, 2017, Violence erupted at the All Progressive Congress (APC) primary election held at Teslim Balogun Stadium in Surulere, Lagos, to select Local Government chairmanship candidates.

A fight broke out in different corners, minutes after the Party’s electoral chairman, Senator Tokunbo Afikuyomi began to announce “consensus” candidates already endorsed by the party.

Supporters of aspirants who lost out turned violent and moved toward supporters of those being declared as winners.

Different protests and factions have emerged after the messy primaries.

Also, the National Legal Adviser of the APC, Dr Muiz Banire, recently raised the alarm that the process of primaries was being manipulated through rigging “in favour of certain imposed candidates” insisting the party conducts proper primaries to avoid a shocking outcome.

LASIEC At A Glance

The establishment of State Independent Electoral Commissions (SIECs) is provided for in the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, in section 197(1):

“There shall be established for each State of the Federation, the State Independent Electoral Commission whose composition and power are as set out in part 11 of the third schedule to this Constitution”.
It is therefore in line with this Constitutional Provision that the Lagos State House of Assembly established the Lagos State Independent Electoral Commission (LASIEC) through Law No. 15 of November 27, 2001.The Commission was consequently inaugurated on 22nd January 2002 by Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the then Governor of Lagos State.

Functions Of LGs

The Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 provides in the Fourth Schedule the main functions of Local Governments in Nigeria as follows:

(a) the consideration and the making of recommendations to a State Commission on Economic Planning or any similar body on:
(i) the economic development of the State, particularly in so far as the areas of authority of the Council and of the State are affected, and
(ii) proposals made by the said Commission or body;
(b) collection of rates, radio and television licences;
(c) establishment and maintenance of cemeteries, burial grounds and homes for the destitute or infirm;
(d) licensing of bicycles, trucks (other than mechanically-propelled trucks), canoes, wheel barrows and carts;
(e) establishment, maintenance and regulation of slaughter houses, slaughter slabs, markets, motor parks and public conveniences;
(f) construction and maintenance of roads, streets, street lightings, drains and other public highways, parks, gardens, open spaces, or such public facilities as maybe prescribed from time to time by the House of Assembly of a State;
(g) naming of roads and streets, and numbering of houses;
(h) provision and maintenance of public conveniences, sewage and refuse disposal;
(i) registration of all births, deaths and marriages;
(j) assessment of privately owned houses or tenements for the purpose of levying such rates as may be prescribed by the House of assembly of a State; and
(k) control and regulation of:
(i) out-door advertising and hoarding;
(ii) movement and keeping of pets of all descriptions;
(iii) shops and kiosks;
(iv) restaurants, bakeries and other places for sale of food to the public,
(v) laundries, and
(vi) licensing, regulation and control of the sale of liquor.
Apart from these exclusive functions, the function of Local Governments shall include participation of such Councils in the government of a state as respects the following matters:
(a) the provision and maintenance of primary, adult and vocational education;
(b) the development of agriculture and natural resources other than the exploitation of minerals;
(c) the provision and maintenance of health services; and
(d) such other functions as may be conferred on a local Government Council by the House of Assembly of the State.