LG Polls: LASIEC Denies Conniving With Any Party To Manipulate Electoral Process
The Lagos State Independent Electoral Commission (LASIEC) yesterday denied reports that it is conniving with some political parties to manipulate the list of candidates for the July 22 council election.
The Chairman of the commission, retired Justice Ayotunde Phillips who said this at a media briefing in Lagos on LASIEC’s preparations for the election assured that the commission, under her watch would not interfere in the internal affairs of parties.
“I wish to use this forum to state with all sense of responsibility that contrary to insinuations by some disgruntled persons that the commission connived with some political parties to manipulate the list of candidates, I wish to state that the responsibility for the conduct of primaries rests with parties and not the commission.
The LASIEC boss, however, hinted that the candidate list to be rolled out by the Commission on July 14 might not be the final, saying that anyone who felt that he or she had been cheated by the party by omitting his or her name would have the opportunity to query such.
“That list may not be the final because if any one feels that he or she has been cheated by the party, that is, omitting his or her name from the list, he or she has the opportunity to query it. But that he or she will do 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 concerned about the internal wrangling within the party. Every political party has its constitutions and mechanism for resolution of conflict whenever it arise,” Philips said.
While stressing that the candidates’ lists were outcome of primaries held by the political parties, Philips maintained that the responsibility for the conduct of party primaries rested with the parties and not LASIEC.
“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,” she said.