14th October, 2011
Twenty seven political parties will slug out it with the ruling Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN, in Lagos State, southwest Nigeria, in the 22 October elections into the 20 Local Governments and 37 Local Council Development Areas in the state.
The 27 parties including the ACN were the approved political parties cleared and declared qualified to contest the council polls by the Lagos State Independent Electoral Commission, LASIEC, under the chairmanship of Justice Abdul-Fatai Adeyinka(rtd).
The LASIEC boss explained that the approved 28 political parties were the ones that completed and returned their forms out of the 35 political parties that obtained the local government election nomination forms.
The parties, according to the commission, are the Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN, Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, All Nigeria Peoples Party, ANPP, All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA, Labour Party, LP, Congress for Progressive Party, CPC and National Conscience Party, NCP.
Others are Social Democratic Mega Party, SDMP, Mega Progressive Peoples Party, MPPP, Fresh Democratic Party, FDP, Democratic Peoples Party, DPP, Action Alliance, AA, Peoples Redemption Party, PRP, Action Party of Nigeria, APN, African Liberation Party, ALP and African Renaissance Party, ARP among others.
Political Platform reliably gathered that the two leading political parties in the state, ACN and PDP, have taken the necessary steps to ensure that they present quality candidates to contest the elections.
Speaking on the council polls, the state chairman of the PDP, Hon. Setonji Koshoedo, said his party has reviewed its stand and decided to take part in the election, adding that boycotting it in the past was not good for them.
The PDP chieftain explained that the forms for chairmanship and councillor position were issued free to candidates of the party in order to encourage members to contest the council election.
Meanwhile, the national leader of the Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has asked members to brace up for the election, saying that the party deserves victory across the 20 councils and 37 Local Council Development Areas.
The former Lagos State governor called for unity, reconciliation and harmony in areas where the primaries conducted by the chapter created tension and intra-party disagreement, reminding party chieftains that they would always find accommodation within the larger collective interests.
According to the state chairman of ACN, Otunba Henry Oladele Ajomale,â€we have never run from opposition. It is part of democracy. If they have not been interested before, we thank God that they have now seen the light that the 20 local governments and the 37 local council development areas are here to stay.