By Opeyemi Samuel
Some aggrieved members of a political party have staged a protest in the aftermath of the just-concluded local government poll in Lagos State.
Accord Party members with their councillorship candidate Banjoko Olalekan yesterday took to the streets to protest what they called a deliberate withholding by LASIEC, the state’s electoral commission, of the result for Ward A, Oki-Alaguntan- Oke Odo Local Council Development Area in Alimosho Local Government Area.
They held aloft placards with such inscriptions as “We don’t want imposition”, “Delay of ward A result by LASIEC suspicious and dangerous”.
Leader of the protesters Omobolaji Abiodun, who spoke to The Nation, alleged that LASIEC must be up to something.
Abiodun said his party had gathered materials to be tendered as evidence against the ruling party, All Progressives Congress (APC).
Omobolaji also alleged that some unnamed powerful forces in the APC were behind the arrest and detention of Accord Party members.
The Baale of Oki kingdom, High Chief Badeyemo Oki, said he remains neutral in the unfolding drama, but has alerted the police who responded immediately to forestall a breakdown of law and order. He also urged the appropriate authorities to do what is right in protection of democracy.
Banjoko said his party was in comfortable lead “as the polls went on” but suddenly LASIEC said “they cannot announce Ward A result because the collated result from a unit was not stamped.”
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yesterday (Saturday), Accord Party agents were on ground like their counterparts from other parties. When it was time for public counting or collation of results, the Accord Party shot into a beautiful lead with a clear margin of over 600 votes above the APC which trailed with just over 400 votes.
“A sudden abracadabra however started with the realization of this manifest lead. And the LASIEC Polling Officers, certainly influenced by what they alone must tell the world, said they cannot announce Ward A result because the collated result from a unit was not stamped.
“Flabbergasted, the Accord Party members queried such dereliction, carelessness and negligence by their officer, and got no meaningful answer.
“Further dazed and excited, they demanded that the errant LASIEC officer be summoned to come sign the document due to exigency, but LASIEC refused to yield, situation which made the Accord people suspect bias.
“Finally, they suggested that the score or result of Accord Party from that unit be subtracted, that even after doing that, Accord will still lead the trailing APC with over 40 votes.
“:Rather than do any of these, the LASIEC went away without announcing a ward that should have been announced first, situation which heightened suspicion of the massive supporters of Accord Party in Oki land”, Banjoko lamented.
According to him, hours from that saga, LASIEC has held unto that result, a situation that sparked agitations and unnecessary rancour.
Arc.Olusoji Samuel, the CDA chairman of the area and Chief Olatunde Tajudeen, Akinrogun of Oki land also spoke in the same vein as the Baale, warning against violence and advising the LASIEC to respect democracy by doing just the right thing.
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