22nd February, 2018
The Lagos State Independent Electoral Commission (LASIEC) has commenced a four-day Post Election Retreat/ Strategic Planning Workshop to appraise the July 22, 2017 Local Government elections conducted by the Commission and chart a new course for the Commission.
Speaking at the opening ceremony of the retreat which held at the Jubilee Chalets, Epe, the Chairman of the Commission, Justice Ayotunde Phillips noted that while the commission was able to successfully conduct the elections, the commission would not delude itself that the elections were perfect, adding, however, that “no elections are ever perfect “.
Phillips further pointed out that the desire to ensure improved performance in future elections informed the decision of the commission to embark on the retreat to carry out a serious critique of all the major election activities and programmes carried out by the commission “with a view to finding out where we erred as an Election Management Body and how to make necessary amends for better performance in future elections”.
The chairman also explained that even though many stakeholders and various election observer groups which observed the elections adjudged the elections as free, fair and credible, the commission could not afford to rest on its oars.
She, therefore, expressed the commitment of the commission to continue to innovate so that elections conducted by LASIEC would become more transparent, credible and more acceptable to the generality of stakeholders and the general public, adding that to achieve these, the commission was seriously considering the adoption of e-voting in the electoral process at the Local Government level of the State.
The chairman also noted that while it was only the Chairmen of other State Independent Electoral Commissions in the country that usually observe elections conducted by sister Election Management Bodies, the Commission ( LASIEC ) had recently introduced a new policy of sponsoring Electoral Officers and other key officials of the Commission to observe elections conducted by other Election Management Bodies in the country so as to enable them acquire relevant experiences about how elections are conducted in other climes, adding that the feedback the Commission had been getting in this regard had been very illuminating and helpful to the Commission.
Philips further disclosed that the commission also decided to develop a four- year Strategic Plan in partnership with the International Foundation for Electoral Systems so as to institutionalise election administration and management at the Local Government level of the State.
While urging participants attending the retreat to take advantage of the opportunity to equip themselves with ideas and knowledge required to take the Commission to a level of performance in election administration and management, Hon. Justice Phillips assured them that the Commission would continue to enhance their welfare within the available resources.
She commended the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES) and its sponsors – the USAID and the UKAID – for their unwavering commitment and contributions towards building the capacity of the Commission in international best practices in election administration and management, pledging that the Commission would continue to work hard to justify the confidence reposed in it by IFES.
Phillips also commended Prof. Lai Olurode, a former INEC National Commissioner and his team who also served as Consultants to the Commission at the retreat for sharing their wealth of experience with the Commission.
Also speaking at an interactive forum organised for stakeholders in the Epe Division of the State during the retreat, the Permanent Secretary of the Commission, Mr. Sesan Ogundeko, lamented the high rate of voter apathy particularly during Local Government elections, adding that this development had been raising legitimacy questions in the last few years.
Giving statistics on voter participation in the last Local Government elections conducted by the Commission, Mr. Ogundeko pointed out that even though Epe Division recorded the highest number of voter turn – out in the State, he revealed that this was even relatively low compared to the rate of voter participation in other countries.
The Permanent Secretary, therefore, appealed to stakeholders and eligible voters to register with INEC to enable them obtain their Permanent Voter Cards and vote for candidates of their choice during elections to make the electoral process more participatory and representative.
Local Government Chairmen, traditional rulers, religious leaders, leaders of political parties, Iyalojas and other stakeholders in the Epe Division of the State participated at the forum.
The Chairman, Electoral Commissioners, the Permanent Secretary, Management staff, Electoral Officers and other key personnel of the Commission are participating in the retreat which ends on Friday.