The Lagos State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has released updated guidelines for the conduct of its primary elections into Local Government Areas (LGAs) and Local Council Development Areas (LCDAs) ahead of the 2025 polls.
A statement signed by the State Chairman, Hon. Cornelius Ojelabi, and the State Secretary, Dr. Adeola Jokomba, outlined the procedures to be followed by aspirants and delegates during the party’s chairmanship and councillorship primaries.
According to the new rules, indirect primaries will be held in situations where a consensus candidate does not emerge. For chairmanship positions, members of the Local Government Executive Committee will serve as delegates. In the case of councillorship contests, delegates will be drawn from the Ward Executive. Voting will take place at designated venues selected by the party’s Electoral Committee.
Accredited delegates are required to present their APC membership cards alongside Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) linked to their respective LGAs or wards. After accreditation, each delegate will receive a ballot paper, on which the name of their preferred aspirant must be written in private and dropped into a designated ballot box.
The aspirant with the highest number of valid votes will be declared the winner. Any instance where the total number of votes exceeds the number of accredited delegates will render the election void. In the event of a tie, a run-off will be conducted among the affected aspirants, with a simple majority determining the winner.
Vote counting will take place immediately after polls close, and results must be recorded on official APC result sheets. Any result submitted on unofficial paper will be rejected. Accreditation and voting are scheduled to take place simultaneously from 9:00 a.m.
The guidelines also prohibit canvassing at election venues. Party officials at any level are barred from serving as polling agents or electoral officers, and a Monitoring Team will be deployed to oversee proceedings across all LGAs and LCDAs, reporting directly to the State Electoral Committee.
To address disputes, a five-member State Primaries Appeal Committee will be appointed by the State Working Committee. This body will review petitions arising from both chairmanship and councillorship contests, with the final decision resting with the party’s leadership in the state.
