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Tag: polls

  • Anambra Polls: Buhari backs Nwoye, to attend rally

    Anambra Polls: Buhari backs Nwoye, to attend rally

    President Muhammadu Buhari on Friday received the Anambra State gubernatorial candidate for All Progressive Congress (APC),Tony Nwoye at the Presidential Villa.
    The President assured that he would personally make out time to attend the final campaign rally scheduled for November 2017.The Independent National Electoral Commission(INEC) has scheduled November 18, 2017 for the governorship polls in which 37 candidates are to slug it out.

    Bauchi State Governor, Muhammed Abubakar, led Nwoye to the Presidential Villa.

    He said, “I am the chairman of the national campaign Council of the APC for the Anambra governorship election that will be taking place on 18th of November this year.

    “We have had our primaries and we have settled all the appeals, we have done reconciliations. It is therefore time to present to the father of the nation, the President of Nigeria, the candidate of the APC in Anambra state, Tony Nwoye.

    “The President received us very well and has promised us that he will personally grace the grand finale of the campaign in Anambra state”.

    Nwoye who spoke to State House correspondents after the meeting with Buhari, alleged that funds meant for the local government areas were being siphoned by the current governor, Willie Obiano who is also seeking re-election.

    According to the Anambra APC candidate, if he clinches power, one of his core mandate would be to ensure a transparent leadership.

    “I am not God but based on the parameters and the indices of the Anambra political terrain and based in the campaigns that we have done so far, I am confident that by God’s grace, because God gives power, we are going to win”.

    Asked what new initiative his administration would bring to the state if he clinches power from Obiano, he said,If elected, Anambra people should expect a transparent government that would bring all the people to an enviable height.

    “We will alleviate poverty. Our local government funds are being siphoned every month since this current administration took over. Many key areas like agriculture and others are paid lip services. I will give them special attention if elected. We are going to take governance to the grassroot people,”he said.

    On threats by IPOB to boycott the elections, he explained, “we are not afraid of the threat. Our youths are unemployed, people are wailing and crying. These are the symptoms of what you are seeing now. Our people are seeing reasons why there should be elections.

    “Some of them who may have been brain washed, we are engaging them to see reasons why they should allow people to elect people whom they want to lead them.” he said
  • Dickson:only my team can win polls in Bayelsa

    Dickson:only my team can win polls in Bayelsa

    Bayelsa State Governor  Seriake Dickson, at the weekend, vowed that only his Restoration Team of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) could win elections in the state.

    The governor spoke at the headquarters of the party in Yenagoa when the PDP Chairman, Moses Cleopas, inaugurated a 10-member Contact and Mobilisation Committee, with a mandate to reach out to its former members, who were said to be  making moves to return to the party.

    Dickson said: “There is no political tendency in this state, nobody that can defeat this team in any election in this state. This is the only winning side.”

  • Lagos Polls: Don’t complain if you didn’t vote, says Remi Tinubu

    Lagos Polls: Don’t complain if you didn’t vote, says Remi Tinubu

    Senactor Oluremi Tinubu on Saturday said that eligible voters in Lagos State who did not cast their votes in the local government elections would not be justified to complain against local councils. Oluremi, representing Lagos Central, said this in Lagos in an interview with journalists in her residence in Bourdillon, Ikoyi. The wife of a former Governor of the State and National Leader of the All Progressives Congress, Chief Bola Tinubu, spoke with newsmen after casting her vote. “This is the time to show solidarity for the government; we believe that this government is working; this is the time that everybody should perform his/her civic duty,’’ she said. The senator said that voting was a way to hold governments accountable. “It is not for you but for your generation yet unborn so that things can be put in place. “We have set the standard in Lagos; every elected candidate does not have any choice but to work,’’ she said. She said that she had been working as a people’s representative for the past six years and would continue to do so till the end of her tenure. Mrs Tinubu commended the Lagos State Independent Electoral Commission (LASIEC) for efforts in conducting the polls. “LASIEC has done well; security personnel are on ground ensuring that there is peace and order.’’ Also, the Secretary to the Lagos State Government, Mr Tunji Bello, who voted at Ward E, Olonade Street, Yaba LGA, commended voters who turned out in spite of the downpour. “Voters have shown support for democracy by coming to vote in spite of the rain. “Starting the election behind schedule is understandable due to the downpour; it is impressive. “I believe that APC will carry the day,’’ he said. Mr Jide Jimoh, representing Lagos Mainland in the House of Representatives, told journalists that the elections had been peaceful. “The election process is fantastic so far, and I commend the Lagos State Commissioner of Police for that. “I won’t want to make any judgment on LASIEC because we are just starting. Taking off does not matter; it is landing that is the most important thing. “We have taken off; at the end of the day, we will see the result. I expect a positive result,’’ he said. (NAN)

  • Downpour, thunderstorm delay take off of council polls

    Downpour, thunderstorm delay take off of council polls

    Downpour which began at 5a.m. in many parts of Lagos State left many areas flooded and affected early commencement of voting in the local government polls in many areas.

    The rain, accompanied with thunderstorms, lasted for more than two hours, confining many residents to their apartments early in the day, until it later subsided.

    The flooding of the roads compelled road users to drive against traffic in some areas as people rushed to beat the 7a.m. restriction of movement time.

    At the Berger end of Lagos-Ibadan expressway, many motorists trying to get out of Lagos, apart from contending with the rain, were caught up in  the restriction of movement time which took off at 7.ooa.m, causing a heavy traffic gridlock.

    In Badagry, only few voters were at some polling units where security personnel, electoral officers and materials were on ground by 8a.m..

    At Polling Units 007, 008 and 009 in Ward A, Badagry Local Government, voters were seen by 8a.m, while at Polling Unit 8 in Ward B, few voters got accredited and began voting by 8.25a.m. .

    Only two voters were at Polling Unit 007 in Ward D at 8.30am.

    Mrs Verona Chike, the Polling Officer in the unit blamed the low turnout on the downpour.

    “I am sure that more voters will come out as soon as the rain stops,” she told NAN.

    However, in some areas of Ikotun/ Igando Local Council Development Area, electoral officers and materials had yet to arrive as at 9.30a.m, with only agents of political parties at some poling units visited by then.

    In Ward B, Unit 005, on Apapa Road, in Lagos Mainland Local Government Area, electoral officers arrived at 9.25 a.m. shortly after the rain stopped in the area.

    In the Alimosho Local Government,  NAN correspondent reports that the premises of the Alimosho Local Government Secretariat was a beehive of activities as several commercial buses were being still loaded with electoral materials and officials at 9:30 am.

    NAN observed that vehicles carrying the materials escorted by security operatives began filing out of the LG compound which doubles as the LASIEC secretariat at 9:45 am.

    Mr Bakare Olagoke, the Electoral Officer of the Alimosho Local Government branch of the Lagos State Independent Electoral Commission (LASIEC) told NAN that the rain delayed the process.

    “We are leaving now. It is heavy rain and only God saved us that the communication mast did not fall on our office or anyone because the rain was too heavy,” he said.

    Lagos residents are at the polls to elect chairmen and councillors in the 20 Local Government Areas and 37 Local Council Development Areas of the state. (NAN)

  • LG poll: Let peace reign, says APC Scandinavia chief

    LG poll: Let peace reign, says APC Scandinavia chief

    The All Progressives Congress (APC) Scandinavian Chairman, Ayoola Lawal has appealed to all political party leaders, party candidates as well as their supporters to conduct themselves peacefully during and after the council polls in Lagos State.
    Lawal made this appeal on Friday in a communique made available to newsmen, noting that whatever politicians or voters do should be in the interest of Lagos states, its residents and promotes peace and unity.
    The APC chief urged all Lagos residents to conduct themselves in a civil manner, “vote and not fight because no life or property worth losing unnecessarily by violence.”Instead they should foster a unified Lagos state by refraining from drumming up of political or ethnic sentiments, calling on Lagos residents to resist and reject any form of incitement.”

    The APC chief prays that Lagos politicians and supporters
    conduct themselves with utmost sobriety to ensure that this 2017 Lagos state loal governments election is free, fair, peaceful and credible.
  • Onu: Lagos APC should unite to win council polls

    Onu: Lagos APC should unite to win council polls

    All Progressives Congress (APC) chieftain Prince Nwaeze Onu urges the members of the Lagos State chapter to put the primaries behind and unite to win the local government elections.

    On May 27 and 29, 2017 the Senator Tokunbo Afikuyomi-led Local Government Election Committee of the All Progressives Congress (APC) organised primaries for chairmanship and councillorship aspirants for the local government elections to be held on July 22 across the state. After the primaries, there were drama, protests and even violence. Nothing less was expected from the primaries of a party in government in the state and at the centre and whose leaders have, since the return of democratic rule in 1999, been calling the shots in the politics of Lagos state.

    The APC and its progenitor parties have, in fact, never lost any election in Lagos state. It was therefore not surprising that the party had, in some cases, as much as thirty persons vying to fly the party’s flag in the polls to elect the chairman of a single local council. Even after giving automatic tickets to some18 immediate past chairmen, no fewer than 200 party members contested for the chairmanship tickets of the remaining 39 local councils.

    While the APC expressly forbids imposition of candidates, it nevertheless recognises and validates consensus candidacy provided their emergence does not lead to division and bitternes. The concluded primaries did leave a lot of bitterness in its wake although a lot of reconciliation has taken place already.In focus here, is the god-like stature of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Chief Henry Ajomale. Love or hate him, the lion of Bourdillion has played and continues to play a pivotal role in the democratic and political development of Lagos state, the SouthþÿWest and indeed Nigeria. Despite initial hold – outs by some self-acclaimed Awoists, the Asiwaju has successfully wrestled the mantle of leadership of the South-West as vacated by the revered late chief Obafemi Awolowo. His rise from a National Democratic Coalition, NADECO activist to the founder and leader of Alliance for Democracy, AD, Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN and now the All Progressives Congress APC has marked him out as a consumate politician, astute organiser, bridge builder and leader. In the course of his rise, Tinubu has identified, trained and positioned a lot of other regional and national leaders who are not only following his footsteps but are capable of stepping up the leadership ladder whenever called upon to do so.

    Ajomale is indisputably a long standing associate of Bola Tinubu. Since they got together in 1990, like siamese twins, they have remained inseperable in the progressives camp. This speaks volumes in an environment where politicians lack vision and convinction and generally prostitute themselves from the left to the right and centre of the political spectrum at the drop of a hat. Bucking the trend, Tinubu and Ajomale have been in the trenches together from the days of Alliance for Democracy (AD) through Action Congress (AC) and Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) to the present day All Progressives Congress (APC). Between 1999 and 2003, Ajomale served under Governor Bola Tinubu as special adviser and commissioner in Lagos State.

    He was the Lagos state chairman of the Action Congress (AC) and later Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) from 2003 up till the merger that gave birth to the APC and still continues as the APC chairman today. It is trite to say that the understanding and trust between Ajomale and Tinubu is legendary. Working together, they have made Lagos state a fortress of progressive ideals and governance that not even the president Obasanjo – led PDP onslaught of 2011 could overcome. Ajomale has become an institution with a lot of clout in Lagos state and beyond. So much is to be said and admired about his steadfastness and loyalty to the cause. Considering the volatile and merchantilist nature of Nigerian politics and politicians, only one guided by principles can stay true to a cause for so long. Lawyer and administrator, Ajomale has led his party to victory in four general elections into the local governments, state House of Assembly and governorship. Surely, the story of progressive politics and the emergence and victory of the APC can never be told without the names of Tinubu and Ajomale taking centre stage. Boasting such track record of success, it is foolhardy to think that their alleged actions in respect of the Lagos APC primaries was actuated by anything other than the general interest of the party and the people of Lagos state. Having come out tops in four previous elections as chairman, Lagosians must trust Ajomale to deliver once again. Consensus candidacy was much loved and promoted by the late sage, chief Obafemi Awolowo in the days of the Unity Party of Nigeria.

    If Ajomale and the Asiwaju had endorsed the consensus candidates, it goes without saying that they must have considered all variables before coming up with what they considered to be in the best interest of the party. The duo has produced political stars that have performed beyond people’s expectations. Babatunde Raji Fashola, Rauf Aregbesola, Prof Yemi Osinbajo, Babatunde Fowler, Ben Akabueze, Lai Mohammed and Akinwunmi Ambode are just a few of such stars who owe their political ascendancy to the mentorship of Tinubu and by extension, Henry Ajomale.

  • 2015 polls: Kwara police, army, SSS, INEC, others shared in $115m ‘Diezani bribe’, says witness

    The Federal High Court in Lagos yesterday heard how several individuals and public officials shared in an alleged bribe of $115 million paid by a former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs. Diezani Allison-Madueke, to compromise the 2015 general election.

    Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) named the officials yesterday during the trial of a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Mr. Dele Belgore, before Justice Rilwan Aikawa.

    In two documents it tendered before the court, the anti-graft agency said the individuals and public officials benefited from N450 million and N155,220,000 out of the $115 million (about N36 billion) Diezani cash.

    The disbursements, which the EFCC claimed were bribes, were contained in a document titled, “Security and transportation per state”, and another one titled, “Kwara State”.

    According to the first document, the Resident Assistant Inspector-General of Police (IGP) in Kwara State at the time got N1 million cash and the Commissioner of Police (COP) in Kwara State at the time received N10 million cash. The Deputy COP in charge of Operations got N2 million cash.

    Also, the Assistant Commissioners of Police in charge of operations and administration in Kwara State, received N1 million cash each.

    The document also showed that the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) in Kwara State for the 2015 general elections got N10 million cash. The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Administrative Secretary in Kwara State at the time received N5 million cash.

    The document added that INEC’s Head of Department, Operations and “his boys” were given N5 million. Other officers received and shared N2 million among themselves.

    Also listed as beneficiaries of the alleged bribe in the state were the “OC Mopol” and “his men”, who got N7 million, “2iC Mopol” and men in the state, who got N10 million; the Director of the State Security Service (SSS) and his men, who got N2.5 million.

    The military in Kwara State was bribed with N50 million, according to the document, while other security agencies including the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) and the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) got N20 million..

    An EFCC investigator, Usman Zakari, who brought the document, told the court that it was recovered from Belgore.

    Belgore is accused of collecting N450 million from Diezani and distributing same to beneficiaries in Kwara State.

    The EFCC said he handled the cash without going through any financial institution, contrary to sections 1(a), 16(d), 15(2)(d) and18(a) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) (Amendment) Act, 2012.

    According to the commission, the offence is punishable under sections 15(3)(4), and 16(2)(b) of the same Act.

    Standing trial along with Belgore for the offence is a former Minister of National Planning, Prof. Abubakar Suleiman.

    The SAN and the don were arraigned on charges of money laundering on February 8, 2017 and they pleaded not guilty.

    Zakari is the second witness to be called by the EFCC in its efforts to prove its case.

    Testifying before Justice Aikawa yesterday, the witness explained that Belgore volunteered the list to the EFCC when he was invited and interrogated by the anti-graft agency.

    The investigator noted that Belgore’s endorsement on the document, stating: “document supplied by me, Mohammed Dele Belgore (SAN).”

    The second document the EFCC said it recovered from Belgore, also showed beneficiaries of a sum of N155,220,000 and the breakdown of what they got.

    Among them were 15 electoral officers who each received, 250,000; 15 supervisors, who got N100,000 each; state Returning Officers who got N1m, among others.

    The two documents were tendered by the EFCC prosecutor, Mr. Rotimi Oyedepo. They were admitted in evidence as Exhibit 7 and 7A, against Belgore and Suleiman, as their lawyers, Mr. Ebun Shofunde (SAN) and Mr. Olatunji Ayanlaja (SAN), raised no objection.

    In his evidence, Zakari told the court that the EFCC’s findings showed that the money was disbursed in cash to the beneficiaries.

    “My lord, the mode of payment, as contained in Exhibit 7, is cash payment. The payments were not done through any financial institution,” Zakari said.

    Justice Aikawa also entertained Belgore’s application seeking the dismissal of the charges on the grounds that the EFCC failed to attach an affidavit showing that it had concluded investigation in the case before bringing the case to court.

    But in opposition, the EFCC lawyer argued that the current law governing criminal cases in the country, was the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA) 2015.

    He argued that the ACJA did not list filing of the said affidavit as one of the conditions that must be fulfilled before a criminal charge could be filed in court, stressing that the provisions of the ACJA were superior to that of the Federal High Court Practice Direction.

    Justice Aikawa adjourned till July 7 for ruling.

  • Lagos APC submits candidates’ list for council polls

    Lagos APC submits candidates’ list for council polls

    The Lagos State Independent Electoral Commission (LASIEC) has received the list of candidates from the All Progressives Congress (APC) to contest the chairmanship and councillorship seats in next month’s local government elections.

    A statement yesterday by the party’s state elections committee chairman, Senator Tokunbo Afikuyomi, said the party had passed the list to the electoral agency.

    Afikuyomi expressed confidence in the ability of the candidates to win the available seats because “there is no opposition to the APC in Lagos”.

    The election committee chairman said the popularity of the party accounted for the skirmishes that accompanied its primaries.

    He said: “The process of choosing candidates has been successfully completed. Across the 20 local government areas, 37 LCDAs and 377 wards in the state, APC chairmanship and councillorship candidates have emerged.

    “Our party’s constitution provides for direct and indirect primaries to pick the candidates. In its wisdom, the APC leadership in Lagos opted for a combination of primaries and consensus, in compliance with the provisions of Articles 20 (ii)a, (iii)a and 21(xi) of the APC Constitution.

    “That was done to ensure the emergence of real grassroots leaders and knowledgeable party men and women who can positively impact the lives of the people at the local level, who can make the much-needed difference in governance and deliver dividends of democracy to our people.

    “This is what we need to complement the wonderful work Governor Akinwunmi Ambode has been doing.

    “The process started from a stakeholders’ meeting, where the decision on the modality for the election and other decisions were taken and ratified. However, this is not to say the exercise has been without hitches. These are normal with any democratic arrangement. No system is devoid of problems and challenges. No system is infallible.

    “In the extant case, in a few areas where there have been disagreements arising from the process, these have been resolved through the conflict-resolution mechanism we put in place.

  • APC, PDP: warming up for council polls

    APC, PDP: warming up for council polls

    The proposed local government election in Lagos State is generating interest and controversy among the stakeholders. Given the track record of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state in the last 18 years, the contest for chairmanship and councillorship appears to be within the ruling party. MUSA ODOSHIMOKHE examines why other parties may take the back seat in the election. 

    The local government election’s scheduled for July 20 in Lagos State. Politicians are in high spirits The scramble for tickets is visible across the 57 councils. The electorate have equally embraced it as an opportunity to choose those who will pilot the affairs of the councils in the cosmopolitan city.

    In line with the time table released by the Lagos State Independent Electoral Commission (LASIEC), political parties were expected to commence campaign between April 15 and July 20. Also, nomination forms were expected to be submitted to the commission by the parties between April 19 and May 22.

    But, it has been observed that most of the political parties have not registered their presence to battle for the council polls. The chairman of LASIEC, Justice Ayodunde Phillips, had appealed to the electorate to show the highest level of decorum during and after the elections. She said eligible voters should obtain their Permanent Voters Cards (PVC) to enable them exercise their franchise.

    As a prelude to the grassroots polls, LASIEC organised stakeholder’s political forum across the three senatorial districts, to sensitise the public about the importance of the elections.

    As part of the reform to encourage grassroots democracy, Governor Akinwunmi Ambode signed an amendment by the Lagos State House of Assembly to remove the ambiguity between the state law and the Electoral Act 2010 as amended.

    With the race over who controls the third tier of governance now in earnest, stakeholders have been thrown into frenzy, as politicians have been busy, doling out their manifestos to convince the electorate.

    Observers say most of the parties are not sticking out their necks in the contest. They say the scene is dominated by the All Progressives Congress (APC). This is creating some worries whether Lagos is degenerating into a one party state. This fear was heightened by the recent defection of some PDP members in the Lagos House of Assembly.

    In most of the local governments, majority of the posters on the streets are those of APC aspirants. Before the close of submission of forms in the APC, no fewer than 1,780 councillorship aspirants and 344 chairmanship aspirants had submitted their letters of interest.

    The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the closest rival to the APC in the political terrain, has not been able to muster half of the number the APC paraded. Other parties don’t even have aspirants contesting in the polls.

    No doubt, the factional crisis in the PDP is largely responsible for the low participation in the election. Sources at the PDP said many aspirants are confused, because they do not know which faction to pitch their tent and where to obtain their forms. For instance, factional chairman, Moshood Salvador, who occupies the party’s secretariat at Shogunle, Lagos, believes he is the authentic executive officer in the state.

    The factional chairman, Hon. Segun Adewale, recently stormed the secretariat to prevent the Salvador-led executive from selling the interest forms to interested members. The leadership crisis in the party at the national level is having a ripple effect in the Lagos chapter. The Salvador-led executive, which is the one loyal to the Senator Ahmed Makarfi group, is looking forward to favourable Supreme Court judgment to rescue it from the quagmire it has found itself.

    Salvador is in a tight corner because the Adewale-led group, which is allied to the Senator Ali Modu Sheriff-led National Executive, is the faction that enjoys the backing of the law. Adewale said he has the blessing of the party chairman to act by compiling and forwarding names of interested aspirants for the poll to Abuja for screening.

    Adewale said: “I have the approval of Senator Sherriff to represent the PDP and the man has reached out to all. We are aware that Makarfi represents the APC in Lagos. Our party’s constitution has clearly spelt out how the candidates for the council polls would emerge.

    “The constitution says that it is the national body that will send names of eligible candidates to LASIEC or INEC and not even me. We are aware that Makarfi is still waiting for Supreme Court judgment, so he cannot direct Salvador to act in Lagos. It is obvious that Salvador and his group are following the instruction of former Deputy National Chairman (Southwest), Bode George.

    “We have a national chairman in Abuja, but what I want to do is that I will reach out to chieftains of the party in Lagos, so that we can submit one list. We have to abide by our constitution; I don’t know why Makarfi is asking Salvador to act in Lagos, because whatever action he takes concerning the Lagos council polls is from Bode George. I have to submit the letter of those contesting to the national body where those to contest will be submitted to LASIEC.”

    But, the party’s Organising Secretary, Taiwo Kuye, has dismissed Adewale’s position as idle and unserious. He said the party had moved beyond what the factional Lagos party chairman was propagating.

    He added that the PDP is in high spirit to participate in the council election, noting that the party primary was fixed for May 24 and 25. He said an encouraging number of aspirants had indicated interest in the council polls.

    He said: “The primary will be transparent and I am sure after the exercise everybody will be happy. The party is going into the contest as a family and we have already commenced the mobilisation to storm the grassroots polls.”

    Salvador also reiterated the party’s readiness for a contest, noting that the PDP is not afraid of a fight. He urged the state government to create an enabling environment where all the actors would freely canvass for votes without any hindrance.

    He explained that the polls were long overdue, stressing that Lagosians were enthusiastic to elect those that would serve them at the local level. His words: “We are not afraid of a fight; it is not a fight in the sense of physical combat, but a fight in terms of competition for popularity and there is no doubt that the PDP is popular with the people.”

    Speaking at a forum in Shomolu, Lagos, Hon. Rotimi Olowo said the huge number of aspirants on the platform of the APC was due to the party’s performance. He said the party had delivered on its campaign promises, adding that those who expect the party to implode because of the huge number of aspirants should bury the thought.

    Olowo maintained that the party would conduct an acceptable and transparent primary. He said: “Definitely, the APC will conduct its primary with the support of the umpire. LASIEC is the umpire and this is not the first time the party would be conducting primaries. We will try as much as possible to be democratic.

    “That is to say that every aspirant should go to the poll. If you are popular, relevant and known, the people will vote for you. We don’t want people who will get our mandate and later abandon their promises. I want to say that it is only popular aspirants that the people will support.

    “Such a person must conform with some level of integrity, so we are supporting that every aspirant should go to the primary to test their popularity. Some people will just sit back and expect that some godfathers will push them for the position.

    “That is what is killing Nigeria today. I make bold to say that those that believe in god-fatherism are the ones destroying the polity, because if you believe that the votes of the masses will count them you must be masses oriented.”

    Other parties, including the National Conscience Party (NCP), the Accord Party (AP) and the All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA), were indifferent to the polls. The parties believe that LASIEC and Lagos State government have an accord which is detrimental to the interest of other political parties.

    They say the nomination of some members to LASIEC board was intended to prepare the ground for the rigging of the council polls. The opposition parties had criticised the move, expressing dismay that the coming polls will not conform to the wishes of the people.

    Lagos PDP Publicity Secretary Taofiq Gani said the inclusion of Lateef Raji as LASIEC Commissioner to conduct the council polls was a resolve to gag the umpire to do the APC bidding. He said: “Lateef Raji has always been a card-carrying member of party from the days of the Alliance for Democracy (AD), the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) and the APC. He is unfit and improper to act as umpire in a contest in which the APC is involved.”

    Gani urged government to remove the APC members from the board of LASIEC and introduce neutral people to guarantee the transparency of the poll.

    Sources from the APC camp say as long as the primary is democratic that there will be no cause to worry.  They maintained that the election would be won by the APC in all the council.

    Lagos State APGA chieftain Campbell Umeh-Nzekwe said his party will fully participate in the council election. He said with the cosmopolitan nature of Lagos, people are going to vote for different parties.

    He said: “Lagosians will vote APGA because we have a good programme, our party is grassroots-oriented and nobody can deny us that. This time around we will win some councillorship and chairmanship positions.

    The Chairman of the Lagos State Labour Party (LP), Pastor Biodun Popoola, said 16 members of the party are contesting for chairmanship. He noted that the party has councillorship aspirants all over the state. He added: “We are prepared for the election. It is not going to be the APC or PDP show, because they have not impacted positively on the lives of the people with all the opportunities they have had. Lagosians are prepared to vote them out and elect us in view of our programmes which pro-people.”

  • ‘Shun violence during council polls’

    The Lagos State Chapter of the Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC) has urged parties not to engage in violence or other acts that could undermine the forthcoming local government election.

    Chairman of the council’s Strategic Planning Committee Charles Odugbesi gave the advice in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos.

    He appealed to parties and their candidates not to see the July 22 election as a do-or-die affair, urging them to approach it with every sense of responsibility.

    Odugbesi said rigging was a major albatross to credible elections in the country and appealed to politicians to shun the practice.

    “Our advice to the political parties and the candidates contesting the July 22 council election is to abide by the electoral rules and shun acts of violence during the election.

    “They should avoid do-or-die politics, because an election is a process to get leaders and should not be a matter of life and death,’’ he said.

    Odugbesi appealed to politicians to display sportsmanship during and after the election by accepting credible results in good faith and embracing one another.

    He said IPAC, as a council set up by the Federal Government in states to promote inter-party harmony, would do its best to ensure the election was violence-free.

    The IPAC official said the council was planning a rally to mobilise and sensitise politicians across all the 22 registered parties in the state on the need to free and fair council polls in the state.

    He said participants would wear the colours of their parties at the rally and share ideas on how to have a peaceful election.

    “The focus of the rally is to let politicians of the different parties know that they are not fighting, that it is just an election and it should go on peacefully.

    “Everybody will wear the colours of their political parties and there will be warm interaction and deliberations.

    “The message here is that even as we belong to the different political parties, we are one, and that we should work together for the success of the election,’’ he said.

    Odugbesi said IPAC was working hand in hand with the Lagos State Independent Electoral Commission (LASIEC) with a view to achieving free and fair council poll.

    LASIEC has fixed July 22 for the council election and July 29 for run-off.