Politics
AS Lagos State Independent Electoral Commission (LASIEC) gears up for July 22, council election into 20 Local Government Areas and 23 Local Council Development Areas in the state, indications have emerged that the event may not hold after all, if current threats by opposition parties are anything to go by.
Some of the parties have been warming up for a fight with both the commission and the state government over part of the regulations pushed out by LASIEC, which they feel had been skewed in favour of the All Progressives Congress (APC), the party in power in Lagos State.
Already, a Lagos lawyer, Yakubu Eleto, has filed a case against the commission over the regulations, while some of the political parties have been kicking against the regulations, even as some of them are said to be putting finishing touches to their papers for the commencement of legal battles.
If the cases commence, the possibility of the election holding in July will be slim as the courts may be forced to issue injunctions to the LASIEC indefinitely or temporarily halting the poll, which has suffered very long delay.
Already, the National Conscience Party (NCP) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have been in courts with LASIEC and the state government over the delayed election, some of the cases being at the Appeal Court level.
Independent authoritatively gathered that the NCP is at the verge of going to court again to stop the current move by the commission to hold the election on July 22, while the Labour Party (LP) and the PDP have expressed displeasure over the LASIEC’s regulations for the election.
The NCP, Independent gathered, is querying LASIEC for planning to hold election in the state’s LCDAs, which it said, are not recognised by the nation’s constitution, stressing that even the delineation of constitutions and wards by LASIEC is also illegal.
The party also picked hole with LASIEC decision not to use card readers, which had been acclaimed to be a panacea against rigging, as proven in the 2015 and other elections organised by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
Another bone of contention raised by NCP is the huge amount LASIEC fixed for the election. By the regulation, Chairmanship aspirants are expected to cough out N100,000; Vice Chairmanship aspirants, N75,000 and Councillorship aspirants, N50,000, as nomination fees respectively, which the party maintained, would be difficult to afford, especially by the women.
Olaseni Ajai, the Lagos NCP Director of Publicity and Publications confirmed told Independent that his party was putting finishing touches to its papers and might file a case against LASIEC and the state government over the election.
Ajani said: “WE shall go to the court because if we accept what LASIEC has done, it means what we have been fighting for over the years is a waste.”
Martin Onovo, the NCP’s candidate in the 2015 presidential concurred also told Independent that his party would be challenging LASIEC in court soon over the July 22 council election.
Giving further explanation, the party’s state chairman, Fatai Ibu-Owo, said the step became inevitable as the party had written to the commission twice on the illegality of the fees pegged for the election.
Ibu-Owo wondered why LASIEC would charge chairmanship aspirants, N100,000, Vice Chairmanship aspirants, N75,000 and Councillorship, N50,000 as nomination fees, when it had enough budget to conduct the polls.
“This is clearly illegal as the participation in the election should be free for all aspirants. We are surely going to resist this and sue LASIEC.
“The state government already budgeted N3 billion for LASIEC for the conduct of the election and additional N360 million for its recurrent expenditure, so why the illegal fees?” he queried
Meanwhile, a Lagos lawyer Yakubu Eleto, has already sued the agency at the Lagos Division of the Federal High Court seeking an order postponing the election. Joined in the suit is the Lagos State Attorney General.
Eleto said he was seeking constitutional interpretation on the powers and duty of the commission, to conduct council election as well as collection of administrative fees from aspirants, even as he queried LASIEC demand for three years tax clearance certificates from candidates.
He is also seeking perpetual injunction restraining the agency from disqualifying candidates who failed to meet the conditions, and an order nullifying the request payment of the administrative fees and another order seeking an extension of time for the election process to enable poor political parties to obtain forms for their candidates.
The Labour Party (LP), through its chairman, Pastor Biodun Popoola, picked holes on the LASIEC guidelines, even as he raised some fundamental issues, which might disrupt the election or jeopardise the exercise.
He also indicated that his party would go to the court to challenge the guideline issued by the state’s electoral agency, adding that the party’s lawyers were studying the guidelines with a view to fine a case against LASIEC very soon.
Popoola, expressed sadness over the decision of LASIEC not to use the card readers and the delay of publication of relative delineation in respective component constituencies in the 20 constitutionally approved local government. He lamented what he termed the unconstitutional and arbitrary imposition of levies to aspirants.
Popoola said: “On the subject of the refusal to allow the use of card readers in the forth-coming local government election, we categorically say no to non-use of card readers as it is on record that the ruling party in Lagos was highly vocal and insistence on the use of card readers during the 2015 general elections.
“The party even went as far as threatening to disrupt the polls if the machines where not deployed. We therefore believe that what is good for the goose should be used for the gander.
“On the issue of delay of publication of constituency delineation, we believe that this is a repugnant conspiracy of keeping the electorates, candidates and participating political party speculative pursuant to fraudulent agenda to confuse all stake holders with the sole intention of manipulating the outcome of the election.
“We therefore advise the immediate release of constituency delineations and proper information on voters’ rights.”
Popoola stressed: “On the obnoxious of imposition of prohibitive levies on potential candidates for the forth coming local government election, we say this is absolutely unacceptable, strange and alien to our political heritage and history.
“We believe it is a calculated and deliberate policy that seeks to exclude indigent, well-liked, and men of good political intention from contributing to changing the already decadent administrative anomaly at the local level of governance.
“This policy is, to say the least, demonic, limiting in participation and outrightly giving the right of participation at the forth coming local council election to the wealthy notwithstanding the source of their wealth and their political integrity.”
Also, the All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA), inspite of what its chairman, Barrister Kayode Alabi considered his “reservation over the LASIEC regulations”, has been mobilising and screening its aspirants for the various positions.
Aspirants of the All Progressives Congress (APC) had for long been displaying their posters in Lagos streets in readiness of the council election, even as the party’s Assistant Publicity Secretary, Hon. Adiodun Salami, told Independent that his party is ready, with its well-grounded structures, for the election, stressing that their candidates will come out victorious.
Indeed, when Independent visited the APC secretariat along ACME Road, Ikeja on Friday May 5, 2017, primaries for the council election were in progress, showing that the party is indeed ready to go into the election. Daily Independent
— May 9, 2017 @ 18:20 GMT
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