The chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Lagos State, Hon. Cornelius Ojelabi, on Sunday, said the forthcoming Local Government elections will hold across the 20 Local Government Areas and 37 LCDAs in the state.
According to him, the impacts and contributions of the LCDAs cannot be discounted in the political and socio-economic development of the state.
Ojelabi, who made this known in a statement, disclosed that the Local Council Development Areas have not only been the closest to the grassroots but have also brought the desired developments across the state.
With this move, the leadership of the party contradicts the earlier position of the Lagos State House of Assembly, which held that local government elections will not be conducted in the state’s 37 Local Council Development Areas (LCDAs) in 2025.
The decision of the party also dishonours a recent Supreme Court judgement, which granted financial and administrative autonomy to the state’s 20 constitutionally recognised Local Government Areas (LGAs).
Setting the record straight, he said, “We wish to inform all and sundry that the Local Government elections will hold across the state in the 20 Local Government Councils and the 37 Local Council Development Areas in the year 2025.
We observed with keen interest the recent debates on the desirability of the existence of the LCDAs and the need to hold elections in their political offices.
Our landscape is dotted with several infrastructural projects by the LCDAs, which include road, drainage and market construction, school and housing projects, primary education and health facilities, and various social service interventions, etc.
The various collaborative efforts with the state government on refuse disposal, drain clearing and security are also pointers to their continuous relevance.
We hope this release will put paid to further speculations as regards the local government elections in order not to unnecessarily heat up the polity.”
