Lagos LG poll: Party’s candidates list is sacrosanct, not concern about internal wrangling-LASIEC declares

.Begins candidate validation, to announce list July 14

By Olasunkami Akoni

In spite of the current crisis rocking political parties over list of candidates submitted for July 22 council poll in Lagos State, the State Independent Electoral Commission, LASIEC, yesterday, said party’s list is sacrosanct as the commission is less concern about internal wrangling within the party.

LASIEC, however, said it will commence validation exercise for candidates presented by the parties next week.

Chairman, LASIEC, Justice Ayotunde Philips, (Retd), who disclosed this in an interview with newsmen, yesterday, noted that the exercise would have started earlier but the frequent public holidays declared by the Federal Government hampered their preparation for the election.

Philips, in an interview at the commission’s headquarters in Yaba, Local Council Development Area, LCDA, said that the exercise will end next week Friday and lists of candidates for the poll will be made public before July 14.

According to her, “The public holidays have disrupted our timetables. That is why we are at the state of validating the list of candidates sent by political parties.

“And that is why we have decided to work during weekends to ensure that all candidates are validated. This exercise ends next week Friday and after that the candidate list for each council will be made public.

“That list may not be the final because if any one feels that he has been cheated by the party, that is, omitting his name from the list, he has the opportunity to query it. But he will do it with the party not the commission.

“The party list is sacrosanct. It is that list we would work on for the poll. We are not concern about the internal wrangling within parties. Every political party has its constitutions and mechanism for resolution of conflict whenever it arises,” the chairman added.

Philips stressed that the list were the outcome of primaries held by the political parties, saying, “I want to state that the responsibility for the conduct of party primaries rest with the parties and not LASIEC.

“The commission is only expected to obtain the list of candidates selected through the primaries organized by the parties which are expected to be observed by the commission.”

.To announce results at each councils

She further disclosed that contrary to previous style, the results of chairman and councillorship will be announced at designated areas in each council.

According to her, “The results will be announced at the collation center of each council, that is where the result will be announced. The only reason we can change the venue for announcement of winners is when there is no guarantee to safety of life from the security at the collation center.”

 

 

 

 

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