……..Demands clarity on July council polls.
Emmanuel Clement
The Lagos State House of Assembly has summoned the Chairman of the State Independent Electoral Commission (LASIEC), Justice Bola Okikiolu-Ighile, and the commissioners of the commission to appear before it to provide detailed explanations regarding their plans and preparations for the forthcoming local council elections scheduled for July.
During a plenary session on Thursday 24, April 2025,concerns were raised by the lawmakers regarding the perceived rushed nature of LASIEC’s processes and the inadequacy of the released electoral guidelines.
The Chairman, House Committee on Judiciary, Petitions, Human Rights and LASIEC,Hon Oladipo Ajomale, pointed out a strong reservations, stating that LASIEC is just rushing the process and that the released guidelines are not comprehensive enough to address the concerns of the people regarding the election.
He went further to emphasized that numerous unanswered questions from the public necessitated the commission’s appearance.
“The Nigerian constitution grants us the authority to summon LASIEC to clarify issues concerning the upcoming elections.
“We are unaware of the electoral method they intend to employ, whether it’s BVAS or the old methods,” he said.
Hon Ajomale also raised concerns about the hiring of ad-hoc staff and the utilisation of allocated funds.
Lending his voice,the lawmaker representing Alimosho Constituency II,Hon Kehinde Joseph, stressed the importance of accountability and transparency, saying: “They must come and explain how they spent taxpayers’ money.”
Also speaking,Hon Solomon Bonu, the member representing Badagry Constituency 1, acknowledged the opposition party’s complaints and lamentedinadequate voter education.
The Speaker of the House, Mudashiru Obasa, insisted that LASIEC must provide a comprehensive briefing on their preparations.
He, therefore, formally directed the Clerk of the House to summon the LASIEC Chairman and commissioners to appear before the Assembly to clarify their plans and preparations for the elections.
