- Lagos LG Poll Lacks Credibility – Accord Party
- Oladeji pointed out that state electoral commissions lack true independence
- “State Electoral Commissions are not in any way independent.”
The Accord Party in Lagos State has emphasized the importance of the National Assembly abolishing the State Independent Electoral Commission to ensure fair and credible elections at the grassroots level.
Eko Hot Blog reports that the State Chairman of Accord, Mr. Dele Oladeji, made this statement during an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria on Sunday while discussing Saturday’s local government election in the state.
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Oladeji pointed out that state electoral commissions lack true independence, and their dissolution would help safeguard the people’s choice in grassroots elections.
He suggested that the responsibilities of SIEC should be handed over to the Independent National Electoral Commission to strengthen democracy and promote genuine political participation and competition at the grassroots.
Oladeji said, “Nigerians are ready, Nigerians are ready for better elections, but when the umpire is biased, there is nothing they can do and lack of confidence in process is the root cause of apathy.
“State Electoral Commissions are not in any way independent. LASIEC is an example. They are not in any way independent.
“So, if we really want true democracy at the grassroots, there is a need for INEC to take over the conduct of state elections.
“Saturday’s local government election in the state is nothing to be proud of.
“The preparations were haphazard, while many opposition candidates were disenfranchised by the commission.”
According to him, the claim that INEC would be overwhelmed by the responsibility of conducting local government elections is merely an excuse to resist progress.
He acknowledged that while INEC is not flawless in managing national elections, assigning it the task of conducting council polls would boost trust among political stakeholders and strengthen governance at the grassroots level.
“They wont be overburdened, it is a lie. INEC has been around for some time, fine-tuning its operations.
“INEC can effectively and efficiently run local government elections, just as they run state and national elections,” he said.
Regarding Saturday’s election, Oladeji stated that the Lagos State Independent Electoral Commission mishandled the process, casting significant doubt on the credibility of the poll.
The chairman said, ”The election cannot in any way be said to be free and fair, and the fault is mainly from the electoral commission.
“It is not free and fair because the formula was wrong, there is no way you can get the answer.
“When you have candidates properly nominated by a political party, but disenfranchised by the umpire, when you have candidates that were not even sure of whether they on the ballot not until election day,we cannot call that election credible.
“So, all those anomalies were there. It was not credible.”
He said that LASIEC has a lot to learn from INEC to deliver acceptable elections and outcomes.
“LASIEC needs to borrow a leaf from INEC for efficiency and transparency,” he said
15 political parties participated in the state’s local government election
