Lagos State will hold local government elections on July 12. And the state’s election body, LASIEC, has now released the names of people who can run in these elections.

The list shows who can run for chairman positions and councillor positions in local governments across Lagos State. LASIEC put out the list on Tuesday, but it was later than they had promised. They said it would be ready by July 1.

According to Vanguard, when reporters went to the LASIEC office in Yaba on Thursday, they saw the candidates’ names stuck on a notice board. People working at LASIEC said they had put up the list on Tuesday morning, but then took it down because of rain.

Why the List Was Late
LASIEC officials explained why the list came out late. They said some people who wanted to run in the elections did not bring all the papers they needed.

Bola Okikiolu-Ighile, who works for LASIEC, spoke to reporters. Reportedly, she was speaking for the LASIEC boss, Justice Ayotunde Phillips.

“The list came out very early on Tuesday,” Okikiolu-Ighile said. “But the candidates themselves stalled the release of the list. For validation, they were expected to bring original copies of their credentials. Some of them only filled out forms and did not bring the required documents, which are mandated by law.”

To get their names on the list, candidates had to bring these papers:

Their CV (work and education history)
Birth certificate
Party membership card
Their voter card
Voter cards from people supporting them (10 people for councillor candidates, 20 people for chairman candidates)
School certificates
A personal data form signed by a legal officer

Some people complained about these requirements. They said asking for supporter voter cards was unfair and could stop some people from running.

On the final list, some candidates were marked as “not validated” because they did not bring all the required papers.

LASIEC said it is now ready to hold fair elections across Lagos State’s 20 local government areas and 37 smaller council areas.

Notably, these elections will show how strong different political parties are before the bigger 2027 general elections.