14th June, 2017
In continuation of its efforts towards ensuring that the Local Government elections scheduled for July 22, 2017 in Lagos State are peaceful and violence-free, the Lagos State Independent Electoral Commission ( LASIEC ) has enlisted the support and cooperation of traditional rulers in the State.
Towards this end, the Commission has visited the palaces of leading monarchs in the State where it met with the monarchs and religious leaders on the elections.
Mrs Toyin Ibrahim-Famakinwa, a Commissioner in the Commission who addressed the monarchs and religious leaders on behalf of the Chairman of the Commission, Justice Ayotunde Phillips (Rtd), in all the palaces visited, explained that the Commission embarked on the visit to inform the monarchs and religious leaders about the forthcoming elections into the 57 Local Governments and Local Council Development Areas of the State and solicit their support towards the successful conduct of the elections.
The Commissioner assured the monarchs that the Commission would leave no stone unturned to ensure that the conduct of the elections into the Local Governments/ Local Council Development Areas of the State scheduled for Saturday, 22nd July, 2017 is hitch-free, fair and credible.
She further explained that the commission had also met with other important stakeholders in the electoral process, including the political parties and relevant security agencies with a view to securing their goodwill and cooperation towards the success of the elections, stressing that adequate security would be provided for all before, during and after the elections.
She added that the commission had done some sensitization on the elections, but was ready to do more so that every resident of the State could be adequately sensitized on the elections.
Famakinwa also explained that it was not the responsibility of the commission to determine the candidates to be presented for the elections, but that of the various political parties, stressing that the commission should, therefore, not be blamed for the disagreements and controversies trailing the lists of candidates submitted by political parties for the posts of Chairmen and Councillors for the forthcoming Local Government elections in the State.
She, therefore, urged the traditional rulers and religious leaders to warn their subjects and followers, particularly the youths against engaging in political violence before, during and after the elections, pointing out that any person or group of persons caught engaging in electoral violence would be prosecuted and penalized in accordance with the dictates of the law.
In their separate the responses to the request of the commission, the monarchs and religious leaders pledged their support and cooperation to the Commission for the elections.
They also pledged to sensitize their subjects and followers on the need to eschew violence and embrace peace so as to ensure that the forthcoming elections into the 57 Local Governments and Local Council Development Areas of the State were violence-free and peaceful.
They expressed confidence in the ability of the commission to conduct free, fair and credible elections.
Some of the monarchs and religious leaders, however, urged the commission to step up its enlightenment campaigns so as to further educate the people on the dos and don’ts of the elections.
They also implored the commission to ensure deployment of adequate security personnel to every nooks and crannies of the State so as to ward off miscreants and ensure peaceful conduct of the elections.
The tour took the commissioners and officials of the commission to the palaces of leading monarchs in the five administrative divisions of the State. The commissioners who led other officials of the commission on the tour were Ibrahim- Famakinwa, Dr. Bunmi Omoseyindemi and Mr. Olusegun Ayedun.