In a sweeping reform of grassroots governance, Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu has signed into law the Local Government Administration Law 2025, a landmark piece of legislation that redefines tenure limits, succession rules, and disqualification criteria for Chairmen and Vice Chairmen across the state’s 20 Local Government Areas (LGAs) and 37 Local Council Development Areas (LCDAs).

The law, which took effect this year, mandates that any Vice Chairman who assumes office as Chairman—whether through death, resignation, or political defection—will be deemed to have served a full term, regardless of how long they held the post. This crucial provision, found in Section 28(4), is already shaking up local political ambitions.

While the law has been enforced in Agbado-Oke Odo LCDA, where a former Vice Chairman was disqualified from seeking re-election due to his prior succession into the Chairmanship, questions are mounting over its inconsistent application within the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

In Ikosi-Isheri LCDA, the APC flag bearer reportedly followed a similar path: serving as Vice Chairman, stepping in after the Chairman’s death, and then winning a full four-year term as Chairman. Despite effectively serving across two tenures, she has not only been cleared to contest again but was also officially unveiled at the party’s campaign flag-off held at the Lagos APC State Secretariat.

This perceived double standard has sparked outrage among political observers, party insiders, and legal experts who accuse the party of selectively applying the new law to favor certain candidates.

“If the law disqualifies someone in Agbado-Oke Odo for serving what is deemed a full term, then the same should apply in Ikosi-Isheri. Otherwise, the law is being politicized,” a legal analyst told Lagos Reporters.

As the July 2025 local government elections draw nearer, stakeholders are calling on the Lagos APC and the Ministry of Local Government and Community Affairs to ensure the uniform and fair enforcement of the Local Government Administration Law 2025.