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  • Card readers delay LASIEC officials as LG elections get underway in Lagos

    Card readers delay LASIEC officials as LG elections get underway in Lagos

    As elections into local government councils get underway in Lagos, some officials of the Lagos State Independent Electoral Commission (LASIEC) have blamed their late arrival to polling unts on the non-availability of card-readers.

    The officials spoke with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Kosofe.

    They said that they were forced to settle for manual checking of the voters so as to save time and ensure that no one was disenfranchised.

    At Ward G, Polling unit 040\041, Ogudu Junior Grammar school, GRA, Ogudu, NAN observed that LASIEC officials arrived there at 9.20 a.m.

    The APC Chairmanship candidate for Kosofe Local Government, Mr Moyosore Ogunlewe, will vote at that polling unit.

    The Presiding Officer of Unit 041, Ward G, Mr Abiodun Bisayo, said that the delay was as a result of the endless wait for the card-reader.

    “We left for the voting venue when we were told to use manual checks.

    “It is not our fault that we came late. LASIEC officers are responsible. We have all other materials, except the card readers,” he said.

    His counterpart at Unit 040, Ms Jenipher Osayande, corroborated Bisayo’ claim.

    “We have other materials for the elections, except the card reader.

    “We are going to use manual identification devices as there is no card reader machine,” she said.

    An Octogenarian, 83-year-old Madam Ebun Babatunde, told NAN that she got to the venue at about 5.30 a.m. from Ikorodu where she is resident.

    She said she registered at Ogudu but relocated about two years ago, stressing that she left Ikorodu early in the morning due to restriction in movement.

    Babatunde said she came to vote because it was her civic responsibility, calling on those to be voted for to represent the people and not their selfish interests.

    She urged the voters to always vote for the best persons that would do well for the people.

    “I have participated in all elections in Nigeria because I believe my vote will count.

    “Even in the Bible, some people were elected. Election is Biblical. I am not happy that up now (8.45am), the election officials are not here.

    “They told us to come on time. Now we are here and they are nowhere,” she fumed.

    NAN reports that voting started at the units at 9.50 a.m. with less than 20 people around.

  • LG polls: Voters with Temporary Cards can vote – LASIEC

    LG polls: Voters with Temporary Cards can vote – LASIEC

    The Lagos State Independent Electoral Commission (LASIEC) says voters in possession of the Temporary Voter Cards (TVCs) are eligible to vote in Saturday’s local government election in the State.

    Justice Ayotunde Phillips (retd.), LASIEC Chairman, said this at a news conference on Friday at its headquarters in Yaba, Lagos.

    Phillips said voters in possession of either the Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) and TVCs would be allowed to cast vote across the state.

    She also reiterated that the commission was ready to conduct a free, fair and credible poll.

    She said: “Voting process starts at 8.00 a.m. and end at 3.00 p.m., while those in the queue by 3.00 m shall be attended to. Election shall be conducted with the use of smart card readers, PVC and TVC.

    “Persons Living with Disabilities would be adequately assisted in the election process while the elderly people, pregnant women and breastfeeding mothers shall be given preference in casting their votes.”

    According to her, the development that leads to a free, fair and credible election starts with the promotion of public confidence and trust in the process.

    She noted that this could only be achieved through active involvement and collaboration with crucial stakeholders.

    Phillips said that as part of preparations, non- sensitive materials had been deployed while the distribution of sensitive materials to all the 20 LGAs and 37 LCDAs would be done on Friday night in the presence of security agencies.

    The chairman, who noted that 15 political parties would be participating in the election, assured the electorate of adequate provision for security of lives and property.

    “The electorate and Lagos residents are being assured that there will be adequate security beyond the exercise.

    “Security of lives and property before, during and after the election is fundamental and is being given topmost priority.

    “The commission is leaving no stone unturned to ensure a successful, free, fair and credible election that is devoid of violence, intimidation and harassment,” Phillips added.

    She urged all stakeholders to inform, encourage and mobilise voters to come out and freely express their political choice through the electoral process.

  • BREAKING: Lagos announces restriction of movement for LG/LCDA elections

    BREAKING: Lagos announces restriction of movement for LG/LCDA elections

    The Lagos State Government has announced restriction of movement across the State between the hours of 8 am and 3 pm on Saturday, 24th July, 2021.

    TheNewsGuru.com (TNG) reports Gbenga Omotoso, the State Commissioner for Information and Strategy made this known in a statement on Thursday.

    “The restriction is to enable the Lagos State Independent Electoral Commission (LASIEC) conduct hitch-free elections into positions of Chairmen and Councillors in all the 57 Local Governments and Local Council Development Areas.

    “The restriction will facilitate the ease of movement of the electorate, election materials and LASIEC officials for the sanctity of the election, effective monitoring and enhanced security.

    “All eligible voters are urged to participate in the elections, which require the cooperation of all residents,” the statement reads.

  • BREAKING: Lagos State releases timetable for LG election

    BREAKING: Lagos State releases timetable for LG election

    The Lagos State Independent Electoral Commission (LASIEC) on Wednesday released timetable for election in the 20 Local Governments and 35 Local Council Development Areas, LCDAs.

    The election is scheduled to hold on July 24, as stated by the 1999 Nigerian Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

    The Chairman of LASIEC, rtd. Justice Ayotunde Phillips, who stated this in the Notice of Election published on Wednesday in Lagos, said that the commission would meet with political parties on Friday for the release of election guidelines.

    Phillips said campaigns by political parties for the election would begin April 30 and end on July 22.

    “Pursuant to Section 21 (I) Lagos State Independent Electoral Commission Law 2008 (as amended), Notice of Election is hereby given as follows:

    “Election into the office (s) of Chairman and Councillors in the 20 Local Governments and 37 Local Council Development Areas (LCDAs) shall be held on Saturday, July 24,” the chairman said.

    The chairman said the Publication of the Election Guidelines by the commission will hold on April 24 while the conduct of political parties’ primary elections will hold between May 3 and June 2, which the commission shall observe.

    She said that the collection of Nomination Forms by political parties would be between May 4 and June 3, while the display of names of nominated candidates and persons nominating them would hold on June 5.

    Phillips said that names of chairmanship and councillorship candidates would be displayed at the LGs/LCDAs headquarters and ward collation centres respectively.

    She said that June 11 to June 16 would be the window for withdrawal and substitution of candidates by the political parties, while June 12 would be the period for withdrawal by candidates through their political parties.

    The chairman said that June 19 to June 25 would be extension period for nomination, where there is One Candidate (Only Candidates), while June 28 would be the closing date for the submission of nomination forms of ‘substituted’ and ‘Only Candidates’ by political parties.

    Phillips said that June 26 would be for the display of voter register for the elections at the ward collation centres, while the submission of names and addresses of party agents for the poll would be June 28 to June 30.

    According to her, the commission will validate candidates’ documents from July 1 to July 11 and on July 14 display list of validated and invalidated candidates at the commission’s headquarters in Lagos.

    The chairman said that final validation of documents for substituted and invalidated candidates would run from July 15 to July 17, while the publication of Notice of Election at the ward collation centres would be July 16.

    She said that the final publication of the list of validated candidates at the commission’s headquarters would be July 17.

    The chairman said that July 31 had been set aside for run-off/ re-run election(s) if there was any need for it.

    The tenure of the incumbents, who have been in power since 2017, will expire in July.

  • Lagos State Govt fixes July for LG poll

    Lagos State Govt fixes July for LG poll

    The Lagos State government has revealed plans to hold its local government councils poll in July.

    Retired Justice Ayotunde Phillips, Chairman of Lagos State Independence Electoral Commission (LASIEC) revealed this in a statement on Tuesday.

    Phillips said elections into the offices of Chairman, Vice Chairman and Councillors in all the 20 local councils and 37 LCDAs in the state would hold the same day.

    Meanwhile, no particular day in July has been chosen for the LG poll but the LASIEC boss said statutory notice would be published soon.

    “The Lagos State Independent Electoral Commission (LASIEC) the body charged with the statutory responsibility of electoral management and administration is committed to conducting a free, fair, credible and inclusive election.

    “The Statutory Notice shall be published very soon,” the LASIEC chairman said.

    The tenure of the incumbents, who have been in power since 2017, will expire in July.

    The state Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC) had advised Gov. Babajide Sanwo-Olu to set machinery in motion for the conduct of local councils election.

    The state IPAC Chairman, Mr James Adeshina spoke against the backdrop of insinuations that the state would not conduct council elections in 2021 since there was no provision for such exercise in the 2021 budget of the state.

    He said that IPAC members would not support appointment of sole administrators or caretaker committees when the tenure of the incumbents expired.

  • LASIEC sets to hold by-election in Surulere Ward on Saturday

    The Lagos State Independent Electoral Commission, LASIEC, says it is ready to conduct by-election into Ward A (Obele/Oniwala) in Surulere Local Government Area of Lagos tomorrow (Saturday).

    The scheduled by-election was necessitated by the death of the Councillor, representing the Ward, Hon. Razak Bello, which imposed a constitutional duty on the Commission to organise a by-election in the ward so that residents of the area were given the opportunity to choose a new representative through the ballot.

    At news conference on Friday in Yaba, Lagos, LASIEC Chairman, Justice Ayotunde Phillips (Rtd) said the commission was fully ready for the poll, which would be contested by two political parties-All Progressives Congress, APC, and the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP.

    She said since the demise of Bello, the Commission issued the notice of By-election along with the guidelines for the poll on Wednesday, 10 April, 2019 at a forum which was attended by many stakeholders to signal the commencement of the process that would culminate into the conduct of the election.

    Phillips said only two candidates, Kazeem Bello (APC ) and Abdulateef Bolaji Sanni ( PDP) indicated interest to contest the election.

    The LASIEC boss assured residents of the affected Ward and other stakeholders that the Commission was ready and fully prepared for the by-election, as it had taken delivery of all election materials, both sensitive and non-sensitive, required for the conduct of the poll.

    “We have also trained our personnel who will participate in the conduct of the by-election. Even though we are going to use the staff of the Commission for the conduct of the by- election, the Commission had to retrain the staff to ensure that they are up to date in terms of the information and knowledge required to enable them discharge their duties effectively and efficiently as election managers.

    “The Commission will, therefore, tolerate no excuses for mistakes on the part of the personnel. All election personnel are expected to comply fully with the rules and regulations guiding the conduct of elections.

    “We also recognise the complementary role played by security agencies, particularly the police, the Department of State Service ( DSS ) and the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps, in ensuring hitch-free and peaceful elections. The Commission has, therefore, enlisted the support and cooperation of relevant security agencies and they have assured us that adequate security would be provided to forestall any breakdown of law and order in the affected area,” she stated.

    Phillips appealed to all eligible registered voters to go out en-masse and cast their votes for any candidate or political party of their choice without any fear of molestation or attack, adding that this by-election was another golden opportunity for eligible registered voters in Ward A ( Obele/ Oniwala ) to vote for either of the two candidates whom they believed would give them effective representation in government at the Local Government level and facilitate development to the community.

    “The period of the by-election is between 9.00a.m. and 3.00p.m. on Saturday, 27th April, 2019. Accreditation and voting will take place simultaneously. There will be no restriction of vehicular movement during the period of the bye-election so that business and economic activities of the people are not disrupted or paralysed unduly.

    “The Commission is determined to make the electoral process free, fair and credible. We shall make people’s votes to count. The Commission, however, expects politicians and other stakeholders to give peace a chance as acts of lawlessness will not be tolerated,” she said.

  • Lagos council poll: LASIEC trying to subvert the will of the people in Oke Ira – Fatuyi

    Members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Monday stormed the state headquarters of the Lagos State Independent Electoral Commission (LASIEC), accusing the electoral body of sabotaging democratic process by not announcing the results of Saturday election held in ward C of Ojodu LCDA.

    The protesters, who are supporters of the PDP councillorship candidate in Ward Hom. Fatuyi Olarenwaju Samson, stormed LASIEC office in their hundreds with different placards and a protest letter to kick against alleged attempt by the electoral body to subvert the will of the people by holding onto the results.

    They alleged that the released result so far in the polling units in ward C showed clearly that the PDP candidates was leading with more than 200 votes, before the process was stopped abruptly and the election materials taken to LASIEC office.

    In an interaction with our TheNewsGuru.com the group ‘ISOKAN OMO ILU’ a youth group of Oke Ira Community, stated that they are out to protest the alleged injustice, distortion of results and obvious rigging by an agent of the All Progressive Congress one Mr Wale Ajala, in connivance with the electoral body, to change the outcome of the election which they claimed the PDP candidate was ahead before the collation stops

    According to him, “It is disheartening to know that people without voters card were allowed to vote, all you need to do is mention Ajala name and ballot paper will be given to vote in favour of APC.

    “This happened at polling booth 033 Adeshina where less than 150 voters came out to vote and the result declared for that polling booth was APC138 to PDP93.

    “At polling booth 054 the APC councillorship Mr Gbenga Opebi was there sharing money to voters until he was reported to the police. While at polling booth 034 Irepo Junction where less than 100 voters came out to vote, APC through the Lasiec declared APC to have 120 votes, and the PDP 20 the residents of that area protested the result.

    “As if that is not enough, the result of two(2) polling booths from Ward B and eight(8) from Ward D was brought down to Ward C to be counted against me. These are the areas that are totally outside of my ward, “he lamented.

    An official of LASIEC received the letter on behalf of the chairman and promised their grouse will be looked into.

  • Lagos LG elections: Results will be declared at collation centres – LASIEC boss

    Chairman, Lagos State Independent Electoral Commission (LASIEC), retired Justice Ayodele Phillips, says Saturday’s councillorship results would be declared at ward collation centres, while results for the chairmanship would be declared at the local government collation centres.

    “The only condition that may warrant the declaration of the results outside of the collation centres is if it is discovered that the environment is not safe,” she said at a news conference in Lagos on Friday.

    “I wish to reiterate that the commission will provide a level playing field for all political parties and their candidates.

    “The commission shall remain committed to its responsibilities of conducting free, fair and credible elections.

    “Nobody, therefore, has any cause to entertain any fear or doubt on the neutrality of the commission as an electoral umpire at the local government level of the state.

    “We are very much aware of our responsibilities as provided for in the relevant enabling laws”, she added.

    Phillips confirmed that LASIEC had already moved all non-sensitive electoral materials to the 20 Local Government Areas and 37Local Council Development Areas.

    Philips reiterated that the restriction of movement from 7am to 3pm was to ensure order and impressive participation in the polls.

    She announced that accreditation of voters and the actual voting would commence simultaneously at 8am.

    The chairman urged residents to vote for candidates of their choice and appealed to candidates and supporters to conduct themselves peacefully and shun acts of violence during and after the election.

  • Lagos Assembly’s amendment of electoral laws 3 days to LG elections may brew violence – TMG

    Lagos Assembly’s amendment of electoral laws 3 days to LG elections may brew violence – TMG

    Transition Monitoring Group, TMG, has said the decision of the Lagos State House of Assembly to amend and pass sensitive portions of the electoral laws barely three days to the local government elections may brew violence in some parts of the state.

    This is contained in a statement signed by Abiola Akiyode–Afolabi, Chairperson and Sulaimon Arigbagbu, South West Coordinator, TMG on Thursday.

    TheNewsGuru.com reports that the Lagos State Independent Electoral Commission, LASIEC had fixed Saturday, July 22 for the elections.

    The statement reads in part: “We are also concerned about the speed with which the Lagos State House of Assembly passed an amendment to the Lagos Electoral Law regulating the conduct of election to allow for the substitution of a party candidate before the elections.

    “The new bill allows a political party to withdraw and substitute candidate not later than three (3) days to LASIEC verification. It also states that any candidate can withdraw from contesting not later than three (3) days to the election by personally taking a letter of withdrawal to the State Secretary of the party involved who must also personally take same to LASIEC not later than 12noon, three (3) days to the election.

    “TMG is worried about the implications and dangers such amendment portends on the credibility of the Saturday, 22nd Lagos State Local Government Area (LGA) Council elections as scheduled by LASIEC. Conduct of credible, free, fair and legitimate elections cannot be achieved in this kind of arrangement with an amendment taken place just three days to the election.

    “Furthermore, we are also apprehensive of the implications of the multiplicity of court cases relating to party candidatures giving the fact that the election is just three days away. Such conflicting decisions could cast aspersion on the credibility and legitimacy of the elections.

    “We also express displeasure over the latest pronouncement by the authorities of the Lagos State Independent Electoral Commission (LAISEC) regarding its planned accreditation plan and observer’s deployment for the Saturday Local Government Election in Lagos State.

    “Our concern is further heightened by the refusal by LASIEC to deploy Card Reader for the conduct of this coming elections. This is an anti-climax to the widely acknowledged improvement to our Electoral System during the 2015 General Elections.

    “As a flagship organization on election and governance monitoring in Nigeria, TMG is seriously concerned about the plethora of allegations trailing the preparations for the election and the lopsided observer’s deployment plan adopted by LASIEC. TMG urges the commission to reconsider its decision on these issues.

    “We call on LASIEC to ensure highest standard in the conduct and administration of the coming Lagos LG/LCDAs elections, by carrying out their responsibilities in accordance with law, and without fear or favour. We hope that LASIEC is committed to an open, genuine, free and appropriate process that is devoid of any suspicion misgiving in the process leading to the election”.

  • Lagos council polls: LASIEC directs candidates to sign undertaking on peaceful conduct

    Lagos council polls: LASIEC directs candidates to sign undertaking on peaceful conduct

    Lagos State Independent Electoral Commission (LASIEC) on Saturday said it had directed all candidates for the July 22 council elections to sign an undertaking, pledging orderly conduct before, during and after the polls.

    The chairman of the commission, Retired Justice Ayotunde Phillips, said a “Memorandum of Understanding” would be signed at the commission’s head office on Monday.

    In a statement signed on her behalf by Mr Oladapo Olatunde, Director of Public Affairs of the commission, Phillips said the commitment from candidates was necessary to ensure that the polls were free of violence

    Philips expressed concern over the high level of acrimony in the political environment ahead of the polls.

    She assured that the commission would do everything possible to check any threat to the peaceful conduct of the elections.

    Philips urged leaders of political parties and candidates to conduct themselves peacefully during the election.

    “You should purge yourselves of the do -or-die mentality that has been the bane of the nation’s democratic adventure,” she said.

    She said the commission had enlisted the support of security agencies to ensure hitch-free polls.

    Also, the state chapter of the Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC) has urged political parties and candidates to conduct themselves peacefully during the election.

    Mr Kola Ajayi, the council ‘s chairman, said in an interview with newsmen on Saturday that peace was key to the success of the elections.

    “We are urging candidates and political parties to eschew violence before, during and after the elections.

    “They should see the elections as a game that would produce winners and losers, and not approach it with a do-or-die mentality,” he said.

    Ajay said IPAC had been creating awareness on the need to maintain the peace across the council areas, ahead of the elections.

    He said the council would continue to partner with organisations and stakeholders to entrench peace in the state.

    TheNewsGuru.com reports that LASIEC had earlier refuted rumours of postponement of the elections which is scheduled for Saturday, July 22.