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Lagos PDP threatens LASIEC over delay in conduct of LG poll

Justice Ayotunde Philips, Chairman, Lagos State Independent Electoral Commission (LASIEC).

The Lagos State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has charged the state Independent Electoral Commission (LASIEC) to announce the date and guidelines for the conduct of election into the 20 local governments and 37 local council development areas within 14 days.

The party threatened to call for sack of members of the electoral body led by Justice Ayotunde Phillips (retd.) if it failed to do so.

The party’s publicity secretary, Mr. Taofik Gani, in a statement, said the call became necessary following the recent Supreme Court judgment which reiterated the illegality and unconstitutionality of unelected persons to govern local government areas in the country.

The party threatened that it would sponsor the removal of the present LASIEC board particularly to prevent disobedience to the councils’ bye laws and authorities.

The party added that the tenure of the last democratically elected local government councils had since lapsed in 2014, but former Governor Babatunde Raji Fashola refused to hold elections and instead constituted illegal council governments.

“This call is on the heels of the recent decision of the Supreme Court judgment which has again further reiterated the illegality and unconstitutionality of unelected persons to govern local government areas.

“The Supreme Court led by Justice Rhodes-Vivour reaffirmed the need for local governments to be run by only democratically elected persons as chairmen. Justice Vivour is a lagos state slot at the supreme Court.

“Justice Oluwatoyin Taiwo of Lagos High Court had sometimes in 2006 declared such caretaker committees in Lagos councils as illegal. By all these plethora of judgments and the composition of LASIEC, this unending delay can no longer be justified,” the party said.

It challenged the LASIEC to purge itself of the accusations that it was incompetent and partisan, thereby lacking the confidence to conduct credible local government polls occasioning the unending delay to hold the exercise.

“We specifically challenge the LASIEC headed by Justice Phillips (retd) to purge itself of the accusations that it is incompetent and partisan, thereby lacking the confidence to conduct credible local government polls hence the unending delay to conduct the polls,” the PDP said.

The party maintained that it was very expedient for the third tier of government to have democratically elected persons to carry out the developments contemplated in the constitution as well as compliment the state and Federal governments.

Jamiu Yisa

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