LASIEC Rejects PDP’s Withdrawal

The Lagos State Independent Electoral Commission (LASIEC) has rejected the withdrawal of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) from tomorrow’s local government elections in the state.

Addressing newsmen at the commission’s secretariat, Yaba, this afternoon, the chairman, Justice Abdul Fatai Afolabi Adeyinka (rtd), said it was true that the PDP wrote a letter of withdrawal, but the commission promptly replied that it was late to back out. According to Justice Adeyinka, any party that so wish to opt out of any electoral process, must do so 14 days before the election.

He stated that the party’s candidates had already been listed on the ballot documents, and that it’s too late to cancel them. According to the LASIEC Chairman, a total of 23 parties are participating in tomorrow’s council polls with 293 candidates vying for the chairmanship and 1,295 candidates for councillorship in all the 20 LGAS and 37 LCDAs in the state.

He revealed that 8,767 policemen and other security operatives have been provided to maintain peace and order, while 27,000 ad hoc personnel were engaged to ensure smooth election. Justice Adeyinka, however, warned that the election period would not go beyond 3 p.m., saying that results would be announced at each polling booth.

While the LASIEC press conference was on, the national vice chairman, PDP (South-West Zone), Alhaji Tajudeen Oladipo had told P.M.News on phone that his party would do everything legally possible to stop tomorrow’s local councils polls.

Says the PDP leader: “I can assure you that the election will not hold tomorrow, because we have already taken steps to ensure that LASIEC is prevented from conducting the election. “We have not only withdrawn from the election because it is illegal, we have also headed to the court in Abuja to prove that election can only hold in 20 local governments in Lagos State and not 57 as being planned.”

In a swift reaction to the development, the state chairman of Action Congress, Otunba Henry Ajomale described the PDP action as “arrant nonsense”, saying ” let them got to court, we shall meet again there.

“What jurisdiction does an Abuja court have over a matter in Lagos? They went to court here in Lagos, yet they lost, as the court ordered that the election should hold. “Why should one party out 50 political parties decide to scuttle an election? It shows they are alien and undemocratic. Everything about them (PDP), is awkward. “As far as Action Congress is concerned, nothing will stop us from emerging victorious at the polls tomorrow.”

Meanwhile, some candidates of the PDP for the Lagos council polls have been cursing their leaders for cutting short their ambitions. Some of the candidates who spoke with P.M.News under anonymity swore that they stood better chances of winning in their areas because they were very popular.