Oki tasks Lagos government, LASIEC on council polls

A chieftain of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in Lagos State, Mr. Fouad Oki, has warned Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu and Chairperson, Lagos State Independent Electoral Commission (LASIEC), Justice Ayotunde Philips, that failure to conduct fresh council election after the expiration of the incumbent chairmen/chairpersons on July 25, 2021, would be resisted.

Oki, therefore, urged LASIEC to rise up to the occasion.

In a letter to Justice Philips, Oki noted: “There are concerns that LASIEC is budging to shenanigans of the state government and its political benefactor from holding local council elections as at when due. The plan is to introduce caretaker administration in local councils the same way it was done between 2014 and 2017 despite a court ruling that LASIEC should conduct election forthwith.

“Section 7 (1) of the 1999 Constitution as amended provides that the system of the local council by democratically elected local government councils is under this constitution guaranteed, and accordingly, the government of every state shall subject to Section 8 of this Constitution, ensure their existence under a law which provides for the establishment, structure, composition, finance, and functions of such councils.

“The foregoing provisions make one conclusion necessary; that the Lagos State of Assembly is empowered to make laws for the function of local councils in the state provided such laws do not temper with or abrogate the guaranteed existence of the democratically-elected councils in the state.”

Oki added that the Constitution frowns on a situation where a state House of Assembly will amend Local Government Administration law to create room for an interim arrangement as being envisaged again in Lagos State.

said: “Section 7 (1) is very unambiguous and that no law enacted by any state legislature can supersede the express provisions of the Constitution. Any arrangement to amend or provide either by fiat or legislation will be a blatant breach of Section 7 and will be resisted so vehemently that the #EndSARS saga will be a child’s play.”