Seyi Lawal, a member of the All Progressives Congress (APC), is the member representing Ikeja Constituency 1 at the 10th Lagos State House of Assembly.
With likely affiliations to the Oshoro Ruling House in Oregun and Aileru Ruling House in Shangisha, Magodo, Mr. Lawal is a grassroots politician.
In May 2022, he defeated Folajimi Mohammed, son of former Minister of Information, Lai Mohammed, in the APC primaries for the Ikeja Constituency 1 seat.
Mr. Lawal went on to win the main election in 2023, defeating the then ascendant Labour party.
He has described himself as a long-time farmer.
Early life and education
Mr. Lawal, born in 1972, grew up in Oregun.
He started his education at Olusosun Primary School, Oregun and completed his secondary education at Ejigbo High School, according to his profile on the House’s website.
He studied at Tai-Solarin University of Education, earning a Bachelor of Education in History and Diplomatic Studies.
He also earned a Diploma in Air Travel Studies from Dayrem Institute of Professional Studies.
Political career
Mr. Lawal’s political journey can be traced to 1998 when he joined the Alliance for Democracy (AD) as a youth member.
He served as the returning officer for the Bola Ahmed Tinubu campaign between 1998 and 1999. This early exposure to the intricacies of party politics and election processes would have been a crucial learning experience for him.
As he climbed the political ladder, Mr. Lawal held various positions within the AD. He served as the publicity secretary of the party in Ward C, Ikeja.
In 2006, when the political landscape shifted with the merger of the AD, the Justice Party, and the Advance Congress of Democrats, Mr. Lawal automatically became a member of the Action Congress (AC) and later the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) and the APC.
Between 2008 and 2011, Mr. Lawal served as a supervisory councillor for agriculture and rural development.
From 2011 to 2014, he was the Chief Whip of the legislative arm of Onigbongbo Local Council Development Area (LCDA).
“This brought me a lot closer to my people,” he said in an interview with City People in 2023. “I became more familiar with what they need and the challenges within the various communities.” In 2017, Mr. Lawal became the leader of the Onigbongbo LCDA legislative arm by default, a position he held for four years.
“I soon became the council leader because most of the other councillors had served two terms and did not re-contest,” he explained.
In May 2022, despite the incumbent’s perceived advantage, Mr. Lawal won the party’s primary ticket and then the general election in March 2023.
“By the time we went for primary, it was clear what the people wanted,” Mr. Lawal told City People.
“The incumbent could see the people wanted their son to represent them. Eventually, I won by 16 to 9 votes. And when the elections proper came, it was a landslide victory.
“Even the Labour party that people were shouting about were nowhere to be found. They came a distant second position. I got over 12,000 votes while the Labour Party got about 5,000 votes. PDP came third with about 2,000 votes. And so far, I think I have been doing my best to give them quality representation.”
Legislative work
Mr. Lawal has admitted that transitioning into his responsibilities at the House has been challenging as his constituents have high expectations.
“Very few of them understand that we are only here to legislate on their behalf . . . we do not have the power of the executive arm of government to give out contracts or do a lot of projects for the community.”
He claims to focus on being accessible and managing his constituents’ expectations while facilitating impactful projects in the community.
In February, Mr. Lawal gave JAMB forms to over 150 students in his Onigbongbo constituency.
He also organised a sensitization session to ensure the effectiveness of the intervention.
“I believe many students in my constituency lack the means to purchase JAMB forms. Some families struggle to afford it,” he said. “I see this as an opportunity to support them in furthering their education.”