The Lagos State chapter of the Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC) has strongly criticized the Lagos State Independent Electoral Commission (LASIEC) over what it describes as poor communication and lack of transparency in the rollout of guidelines for the 2025 local government elections.
In a joint statement released on Saturday, IPAC Chairperson Emilade Akinade and Public Relations Officer George Ashiru expressed frustration with LASIEC’s approach, accusing the electoral body of excluding key political stakeholders from important pre-election conversations.
According to IPAC, LASIEC released the new election guidelines without any formal consultation with political parties, a move they say undermines the integrity of the electoral process.
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The council said political parties were left in the dark about several crucial details, especially with regard to how the Supreme Court’s ruling on local government autonomy could impact the structure and legality of the 37 Local Council Development Areas (LCDAs) in Lagos.
“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,
The group further revealed that it was unaware of the revised LASIEC law that empowers the commission to conduct executive elections in the 57 LGAs and LCDAs.
They noted that the amendment had been passed and signed into law earlier in January, yet political parties were not officially informed or provided with copies of the new legislation.
“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. 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.
They also accused the LASIEC Board, led by retired Justice Mobolanle Okikiola-Ighinle, of not fostering regular dialogue with stakeholders.
The group pointed out that only one meeting had taken place between the board and party leaders, and that was at IPAC’s request.
“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”
