Accord Party rejects Lagos LG polls, wants state electoral commissions scrapped

The Accord Party in Lagos State has rejected the results of the local government elections held on Saturday.

The party is calling for the removal of all State Independent Electoral Commissions (SIECs), including the Lagos State Independent Electoral Commission (LASIEC).

Speaking to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Sunday, the Lagos State Chairman of the party, Dele Oladeji, said the election was full of problems and did not allow fair participation for opposition candidates.

He said the state electoral bodies are not truly independent and this damages democracy and discourages voters from taking part.

“State electoral commissions are not truly independent. LASIEC is a clear example,” Oladeji said. “If we want real democracy at the local level, INEC should take over local elections.”

He criticized how the July 12 election was handled, saying it was badly planned and not trustworthy.

According to Oladeji, many candidates from opposition parties were unfairly kept out of the election, and some were not sure if their names were even on the ballot until the day of the election.

“This election was not free or fair, and LASIEC is to blame,” he said. “When properly nominated candidates are stopped from contesting by the electoral body, and others are left uncertain until election day, the process cannot be seen as credible.”

Oladeji disagreed with the idea that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) would be overburdened if it took on local elections.

He believes INEC has the tools and experience to handle elections at all levels effectively.

“INEC can conduct local elections well, just like it does state and national ones,” he said.

Although he admitted that INEC has its own issues, Oladeji said handing local elections to INEC would help build public trust and increase voter turnout.

He encouraged LASIEC to learn from INEC and make its process more open and efficient. “LASIEC should follow INEC’s example for better transparency,” he added.

Fifteen political parties participated in the Lagos local government elections held on Saturday.