By Adeyemi Adeleye
The Lagos State Independent Electoral Commission (LASIEC) says it is fully prepared to conduct a peaceful, fair and transparent Local Government election in the state on Saturday.
LASIEC Chairman, Justice Bola Okikiolu-Ighile (retd), said this while briefing journalists on the commission’s preparations on Thursday in Lagos.
She said the LASIEC was not taking anything for granted as it had put everything humanly possible in place to ensure a successful election.
“The commission is leaving no stone unturned to ensure a successful, free, fair and credible election that is devoid of violence, intimidation, or harassment. We count on you for an unbiased and balanced reportage of the exercise.
“My appeal to all the contestants is to uphold democratic values and conduct themselves with decorum, maturity, and respect for the rule of law.
“The commission remains non-partisan and will not condone any form of electoral malpractice or violence,” she said.
Okikiolu-Ighile urged eligible residents to participate actively in the process, advising voters to choose candidates according to their conscience and not sell their votes.
“To the electorate, I say this: Your vote is your voice. Come out on Saturday and cast your vote peacefully and confidently. Your participation strengthens our democracy and determines the quality of leadership at the grassroots.
“LASIEC is fully prepared for this election. Every necessary measure has been taken to guarantee the integrity of the process, Okikiolu-Ighile said
Regarding the accreditation of voters, Okikiolu-Ighile said that LASIEC would not use the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) during the election.
She said, instead, an alternative electronic device would be used for seamless accreditation.
Okikiolu-Ighile said, “We have worked with a device using the telephone to get voters accredited for the election. It works anywhere and does the same work with the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS).”
According to her, the polls will be held in the 20 Local Governments (LGs) and 37 Local Council Development Areas (LCDAs) of the state.
Giving further details on the polls, she said that out of the 19 registered political parties in Nigeria, only 15 political parties would participate in the election.
“57 Chairmanship positions are being contested for as well as 57 Vice Chairmanship positions. Also, 376 Councillorship positions are to be contested for
“The election will be held in all the 13,325 Polling Units across the state. The total number of registered voters stands at 7,060,195,” she said.
According to her, the number of PVCs collected is 6, 214, 970 while the number of PVCs uncollected is 845,225.
The chairman noted that the development that leads to any free, fair and credible election starts with the promotion of public confidence and trust in the process.
To ensure a credible election, she said the commission had engaged political parties, civil society organisations, security agencies, the media, youths, persons with disabilities and other key stakeholders through consultations, meetings, and advocacy visits to promote inclusivity and transparency.
According to her, the commission has ensured strict adherence to the election’s guidelines,
On voter apathy, Okikiolu-Ighile said that the commission had taken steps to promote voter turnout through several stakeholder sensitisation programmes in all the five divisions of the state in partnership with relevant stakeholders.
She said that the commission adopted different strategies of voter education and media sensitisation, motorised campaigns, outdoor advertising and branding to reach out to the voting public.
“For transparent purposes, the recruitment of ad-hoc staff was conducted online through our user-friendly website.
“Those who met the rigorous process of selection have just completed their training and are ready for deployment,” she said
According to her, as part of LASIEC preparations for the election, non-sensitive materials have already been deployed.
She added that the distribution of sensitive materials to all the LGs and LCDAs would be done on the eve of the election day in the presence of security agencies and political party agents to ensure security and transparency.
On security, Okikiolu-Ighile said that the security of lives and properties, as well as the safety of materials before, during and after the elections, remained fundamental and was being given topmost priority.
She assured the voting public of adequate security beyond the exercise.
“Members of the Nigeria Police, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, shall be the first responders, while the joint Military patrol – OP MESSA shall equally be on standby,” she said
On the collation of results, Okikiolu-Ighile said that councillorship results would be collated at the ward collation centres while the chairmanship results would be collated at the local government collation centres.
