LASIEC comes under strong criticism by Lagos IPAC over release of 2025 LG election guidelines

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The Lagos State Independent Electoral Commission (LASIEC) has come under fire from the state’s Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC) for how it handled the recently published guidelines for the 2025 local government elections.

The umbrella organization of all 19 registered political parties in the state, IPAC, criticized LASIEC for allegedly eschewing appropriate communication protocols in a joint statement released on Saturday by IPAC Chairperson Emilade Akinade and the council’s public relations officer, George Ashiru.

ZINGTIE remembers that on Friday LASIEC fixed July 12, 2025, for elections for the 20 local government areas and 37 local council development areas in the state.

IPAC responded to the release by accusing LASIEC of working in secrecy and claiming that the commission had not consulted political parties on important matters before to releasing the recommendations.

“Critical questions and issues remain unresolved as regards the appropriate interpretation of the Supreme Court’s pronouncements on LG autonomy and how that will impact the 37 LCDAs established by the state government.

“IPAC only recently learned that a revised LASIEC law empowering the agency to conduct executive elections into 57 LG/LCDAs was approved on January 9 and signed into law on January 10 by the governor.

“This took IPAC by surprise. Such critical legislation should be in the public domain. The information was not made public on any platform and copies of the new law are yet to be made available to IPAC for distribution to political parties.”

The council criticized the newly established LASIEC Board, which is led by retired Justice Mobolanle Okikiola-Ighinle, for not providing a forum for IPAC to participate in election preparations or for not establishing an open and cooperative relationship with the commission.

IPAC pointed out that the board has only met with representatives of political parties once since January, and that was only after IPAC made the request.

The group emphasized that before the elections, LASIEC should have held several meetings with political parties to thoroughly explain the ramifications of the new electoral law.

It stated: “LASIEC has a lot to learn from INEC in Lagos State about the need for continuous engagement, communication, and transparency in order to have a smooth, free and fair election.

“The constant late release of guidelines close to when the electoral cycle begins and the lack of continued engagement with the political parties is an error.

“This will make political parties and their members misinterpret the actions of LASIEC as driving in the direction of a predetermined outcome.”

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