Lagos Independent Electoral Commission, LASIEC, yesterday, insisted that the commission is not responsible for announcing the results of the just concluded local government elections held on Saturday.
This came on a day Governor Dapo Abiodun of Ogun State swore in chairmen of the 20 local government areas and their deputies, with a call on them to see their new positions as a call to service to further take dividend of democracy to the people at the grassroots.
Fielding questions from newsmen on reasons the results of the elections were not on the commission’s website, the Public Relations Officer, Tope Ojo, said: “LASIEC Chairman, Justice Ayotunde Philips (retd), already informed the public that we are not responsible for announcing results.
“They have been sending the results to those that are in operations and logistics and I don’t have anything to do with them. I am still expecting it too. Our next responsibility as a commission is to issue certificates of return to those that won, according to the LGA collation and returning officers.
“So the chairman has said she doesn’t have anything to do with results declaration.”
LASIEC was yet to upload the results and number of parties that participated in the elections on their website.
Reacting to the conduct of the poll, an activist, critic, Chief Adesunbo Onitiri, described as “disgraceful and a sham,” last Saturday’s council polls.
Onitiri, in a statement in Lagos, said: “It was neither free nor fair. It failed all ingredients of a credible election. Lagosians failed to turn out for the elections as they already knew that their votes would not count.
“So many Lagosians that phoned in on a popular radio programme, few days to the elections, vowed never to come out for the elections as they all believed that the results of the election had already been determined a week before.
“The elections were generally peaceful as most Lagosians boycotted the polls. There was total election apathy. Of the over 25million resident voters, less than one per cent came out to vote. What a pity.
“The Lagos State Independent Electoral Commission, LASIEC, was not independent after all. A supposedly unbiased umpire did not do a good job. LASIEC showed open bias in the conduct of the election. This is a serious indictment on the part of the commission as today, there is no election result transmitted on the website of LASIEC.”
Meanwhile, Governor Abiodun charged the newly elected council chairmen to bring a new vista of development to their various council areas, adding that they should be ingenious in their policies towards bringing the desired change and development to the grassroots.
The All Progressives Congress, APC, won all the 20 chairmanship seats in the last Saturday polls.
Abiodun said: “We are convinced that a free and fair local government council election is directly connected to the economic development of the local government areas and increased prosperity of our people at that level. It is an impetus for the wellness, welfare and wellbeing of our people at the grassroots.
“You must also appreciate the fact that your victory at the polls is multi-dimensional. It is a combination of the confidence reposed in your abilities; the faith the people have reposed in our great party, the APC to provide the needed development and ensure individual prosperity for our people at the grassroots. It is a call to service.”