A civic advocacy group, Enough is Enough (EiE) Nigeria, has once again raised concerns over the legality and preparedness of the Lagos State Independent Electoral Commission (LASIEC) ahead of the scheduled by-elections on Saturday, July 12, 2025.
LASIEC is set to oversee elections across the 57 Local Government Areas (LGAs) and Local Council Development Areas (LCDAs) of Lagos State. However, EiE Nigeria has criticized the commission for allegedly violating provisions of the 2022 Electoral Act and for failing to provide adequate public awareness about the upcoming vote.
According to a report by News Express Nigeria, the Electoral Act mandates that council elections be conducted not earlier than 150 days and not later than 30 days before the expiration of the tenure of current officeholders. EiE contends that LASIEC has not complied with this timeline.
In a press release dated July 10, 2025, the group disclosed that it had formally engaged with LASIEC, seeking essential electoral information including the election timetable, notices, and guidelines. Partnering with Yiaga Africa, EiE publicly questioned the legitimacy of the July 12 election date, citing possible violations of Sections 150 and 103 of the Electoral Act.
“Our comprehensive analysis of how this election date contravenes the Electoral Act 2022 is available on our website,” the group stated. “We’ve also uploaded scanned copies of the LASIEC laws shared with us, in our ongoing commitment to transparency and legal accountability.”
EiE further argued that while the Lagos State Government has the authority—upheld by the Supreme Court—to create LCDAs as administrative units, it is unlawful for LASIEC to deny eligible residents the right to vote for chairpersons of federally recognised LGAs. The group stressed that unless LASIEC intends to issue two separate ballot papers—one for LGA chairpersons and another for LCDAs—the process may exclude a significant portion of voters from making constitutionally protected choices.
The group urged Lagos residents not to be deterred by these irregularities and to participate actively in the election.
“We call on all Lagosians to come out and vote, despite the challenges—perceived or real. The way to confront institutional failure is through civic engagement, not withdrawal. Our democracy only thrives when citizens remain involved. Don’t allow those who seek to undermine this process to succeed through your silence,” EiE stated.
The group emphasized that voter participation remains key in holding public institutions accountable and strengthening democracy at the grassroots level.
