Why We Can’t Fix LG Election Date - LASIEC

Adewale Ajayi, Lagos - 16.02.2008

The Chairman of Lagos State Independent Electoral Commission (LASIEC), Justice Fatai Adeyinka, has given reasons why the commission finds it difficult to fix a date for local government election.

Speaking at the stakeholders meeting held with political parties in the state, he said the commission needed to tidy up everything needed to be done, and that this could be achieved by getting the views of all the stakeholders on how to conduct a credible election in the state.

Justice Adeyinka explained that if a date was announced before all loose ends were tied, it could lead to a shoddy election, or changing the date of the election.

“Election is a question of time; if we should announce the date, time will start to run. I don’t want to give a date now and tomorrow I will have to change it. That is why we have to be very very careful,” he said.

He assured the political parties that sufficient time would be given to the parties to allow them conduct their primaries. On the number of local government areas election would be conducted into Justice Adeyinka said that could not be determined yet, but that the number of councils election would be conducted into would be made known when the guideline for the election was released, but added that much respect should be given to the provision of the constitution and supreme court ruling.

He explained that part of what was delaying the conduct of the election was the amendment to the law that set up LASIEC, which he said was before the State House of Assembly.

He, therefore, urged the political parties to tell their members to behave themselves during the election, just as he said the commission had made necessary arrangement to ensure a violence-free election.

However, the political parties present disagreed with the ruling party in the state, Action Congress (AC), on the number of councils election that would be conducted into.

While the AC supported election into 57 council areas recognised by the state government , the other parties insisted that election should be into 20 council areas recognised by the constitution, and that doing anything contrary would be an illegal act, insisting that they would not be part of illegality.

Those who spoke against conducting election into 57 council areas were Mr Afolabi Gbajumo, the state chairman of National Conscience Party (NCP), and Mr. Ayo Akintayo of Justice Party (JP).

Another issue upon which agreement was reached was the giving of grants to the political parties. While JP and NCP supported giving grants to the political parties as done in other states like Jigawa and Enugu, AC Chairman, Chief Henry Ajomale, kicked against the idea on the ground that the grant might create crisis among members of the political parties, because the chairman and the secretary may siphon the money.