LG POLLS: PARTIES, OTHERS, LASEIC TRADE WORDS

 
LAGOS- Lagos State Independent Electoral Commission, LASIEC, yesterday, organised the third stakeholders' meeting on conducting free and fair council polls in the state slated for October 22.

Meanwhile, representatives of political parties and stakeholders had expressed fears over the preparedness of LASIEC to conduct credible council polls in the state.

This came as the immediate past governor of the state, Senator Bola Tinubu and Governor Babatunde Fashola, at a rally at Abesan High School in the Alimosho Local Government Area of the state, urged the electorate to sweep away retrogressive parties such as the Peoples' Democratic Party, PDP, in the council polls.

At the rally, Fashola said the construction of Ayobo-Ipaja Road will commence before the end of the year.

At the zonal stakeholders' meeting by LASIEC at Ikeja Local Government Secretariat, there were accusations and counter-accusations between speakers and LASIEC over procedure for the polls.

Stakeholders alleged that LASIEC had failed to release names of candidates of some political parties such as PDP, All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA, Labour Party, among others.

It took several minutes for LASIEC Commissioner, Mr. Ibidokun Pedro, who represented the Chairman, Justice Abdul-Fatai Adeyinka, to calm frayed nerves.

Pedro said the commission had furnished stakeholders with the guidelines for the elections, which was widely accepted, adding that the commission was unbiased.

He said: 'Efforts had been put in to sensitisation and mobilisation eligible voters to come out and participate in the elections.'

We held several media briefings as a way of creating public awareness. We engaged the services of radio and television jungles to increase public awareness before the elections.'