By Bilesanmi Abayomi
Human rights lawyer and Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Mr. Femi Falana, has affirmed that under the newly enacted Lagos State Local Government Administration Law 2025, no council chairman is permitted to serve more than two terms or a total of eight years in office.
Speaking at an interactive session with journalists at his Ikeja chambers on Tuesday, Falana explained that the law, signed by Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu on May 7, 2025, has already taken effect and is binding on all 20 Local Government Areas (LGAs) and 37 Local Council Development Areas (LCDAs) in Lagos State.
Falana dismissed suggestions that the law should not apply to current officeholders, describing such arguments as “bunkum.” He said once the law was signed, it became effective immediately and cannot be suspended or modified arbitrarily after elections.
“The governor cannot postpone the commencement of a law that has already been signed,” he said.
He cited Section 28(4) of the new law, which provides that any vice chairman or councillor who assumes office due to the death, impeachment, or resignation of a sitting chairman is deemed to have served a term. Such individuals, according to the law, are only allowed to contest for one additional term.
Falana added that this effectively limits any individual to a maximum of two terms—regardless of whether they completed another’s tenure or not. “If someone has completed two years of another person’s tenure and then served another full term, that’s it. They are not eligible to run again. Anything beyond eight years is unknown to the new law,” he stated.
He further cited Section 59(3) of the law, which clarifies that actions taken under the repealed law are deemed to have been taken under the new law, thereby eliminating any ambiguity about its applicability to ongoing tenures.
On the implications of violating the tenure limits, Falana warned that any candidate found in breach of the new law’s provisions risks disqualification. He said such a candidate could be removed from office by a court if challenged either before or after the election through a pre-election or post-election petition.
“If a person contests unlawfully and wins, the election can be nullified. Votes cast for such a person may end up being wasted,” he said.
He advised political parties to ensure their candidates meet the legal requirements, warning that a failure to do so could expose them to legal defeat and reputational damage.
The clarification by Falana comes amid growing controversy in some LCDAs, particularly Ikosi-Isheri, where opposition within the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) has cited the law in attempts to disqualify the incumbent chairman’s re-election bid.