LASIEC holds Agege ward runoff Saturday — Chairman

The Lagos State Independent Electoral Commission (LASIEC) has fixed Saturday for the runoff of the councillorship election in Ward F of Agege council area.

The LASIEC Chairman, Justice Ayotunde Phillips (rtd.), said this at a stakeholders’ forum on the poll in Lagos on Wednesday.

Phillips said the July 24 election could not produce a clear winner in the ward.

The LASIEC chairman, who was represented by Dr Bunmi Omoseyindemi, LASEIC Electoral Commissioner, said the runoff was necessitated by the tie between candidates of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) during the election.

“Arrangements have been concluded and we will just ask people to be peaceful so that we can have a violence-free election. People should come out and vote and know that their security is assured.

“We are just coming from an election conducted last week, everything is ready for the runoff.

“We are prepared, fully prepared. It is the people that want to foment trouble that should make sure they do not come around. We are fully prepared for them,” she said.

According to her, only two parties, which are PDP and APC, are going to be on the ballot.

She said that security agencies had been put on the alert to ensure free, fair and credible poll.

The LASEIC boss urged all stakeholders, including religious leaders and traditional rulers, to work for peace and ensure it during the poll.

“You need to warn people in your domains who want to foment trouble. We will ensure free and fair election.

“It is your responsibility to mobilise people to vote so as to address the issue of voter apathy.

“I believe we are going to have a peaceful election. We have to start doing things right in the country. Let us try to have sportsmanship spirit,” Phillips also said.

Mr Sakiru Akinwande, the PDP candidate for the ward, told our reporter that he was on ground in all the 43 polling units to win the election.

Akinwande advised the commission to take the matter of security seriously to prevent loss of lives.

“I will only beg LASIEC, on behalf of the electorate, to please make sure they secure lives of the electorate, the electoral officers and the community.

“I am committed to peace and we have never defaulted in any peace pact we signed before in history.

“We are the party the people want and we are in victory mood,” he said.

Mr Yusuf Abolore, the APC candidate, who commended LASIEC for the stakeholders’ meeting, said the forum would help engender peace during and after the poll.

“We should not take politics as a do-or-die affair. The PDP candidate is my younger brother. It is just a game, we cannot hurt each other.

“Election will come and go, our family bond and community will still remain. We are one and we will still continue to be one,” he added.

Recall that the ruling APC won all the chairmanship seats in the 20 Local Government Areas (LGAs) and 37 Local Council Development Areas (LCDAs) of the state.

Meanwhile, the ruling party lost only two of the 377 councillorship seats to the PDP in ward G, Yaba LCDA and the Young Progressives Party (YPP) in ward D of Orile-Agege LCDA.