…drags Electoral body, Assembly, AG to court over alleged removal of candidates’ names
Barely 24 hours to the Lagos State local government elections slated for Saturday July 24, 2021, Allied People’s Movement has dragged Lagos state Independent Electoral Commission (LASIEC), Lagos State House of Assembly and the Attorney General of the state to court over alleged removal of names of its candidates.
The party claimed that the names of its chairmanship candidate in Agbado Oke-Odo LCDA, Victor Oluwasegun and Councilorship candidate for Ward E, Biola Lawal were illegally removed from participating in the forthcoming LG poll.
APM also accused LASIEC of ‘intentionally’ removing the names of its candidate so as to allegedly favour the All Progressives Congress in the forthcoming poll.
The originating court summons dated July 9 and filled on behalf of APM by the law firms of S.O Oyeniyi and Co was said to have been brought before the court in pursuant to section 7(4), 106 and 107 of 1999 constitution as amended on the eligibility, qualifications and disqualifications of persons contesting for the Local Government Council Election in Lagos state.
Speaking on the application filed before the High Court of Lagos state, the APM Legal Adviser, Simeon Oyeniyi said the party is challenging the illegalities of the LASIEC on the forthcoming election.
Oyeniyi accused the Lagos House of Assembly of introducing some unrecognized legal phrases into the Electoral Laws of 2008.
The APM counsel lamented that the unrecognized legal phrases is what the LASIEC used in allegedly sidelining other political parties from participating in the election.
He complained that the APM candidates were disenfranchised despite fulfilling all the constitutional requirements.
He insisted that the LASIEC is incompetent to prescribe conditions for the eligibility, qualifications and disqualifications of candidates to contest Local Government election in Lagos state.
He stressed that LASIEC’s action is contradicting the section 7 (4) 106 and 107 of the constitution of federal Republic of Nigeria.
Oyeniyi also described the payment of forms prescribed by LASIEC as unconstitutional and infringement on the constitutional section 7 (4) 106 and 107 of the constitution of federal Republic of Nigeria.
He added, “the party have been disenfranchised especially their candidature from contesting for the position that they will have contested for in this coming election that is slated for 24th July, 2021.
“The electoral pronouncement by the chairperson of LAGSIEC which was made public sometime in April, 2021 that mandated whosoever member of any party that want to contest for any electoral post or position of a local government to made available some payment of amount of money and as well other conditions such as tendering of evidence of payment of tax which were not recognizable by the Federal Republic of Nigeria Constitution and amended 1999.
“We have a chairmanship aspirant from our local government which is LCDS Oke-Agbado, Oke-Odo LCDA. We have a councilor who is also a legal practitioner that wish to have contested for the position of Councillorship in his ward, but have been disenfranchised and removed by the laws of whims and caprices of the LASIEC put in place.”
Corroborating the legal adviser, the chairmanship candidate, Oluwasegun stressed that LASIEC’s actions have revealed that the election will not be free and fair.
He added,”we make bold to say that the LASIEC has successfully denied our eligible candidates into their various political local government positions of the Lagos state government.
“This is a deliberate plan to ensure that the candidates of the ruling APC become the sole winners in the forthcoming poll.”
