Lagos electoral umpire to announce council polls’ results at collation centres

• Govt extends movement restriction

Towards ensuring a free, fair and transparent local council elections this weekend, the Lagos State Independent Electoral Commission (LASIEC) has promised to announce the outcome at the ward and collation centres.

Its Chairman, Justice Ayotunde Phillips (rtd), at a meeting with stakeholders on the commission’s preparedness for the polls, said the commission would, however, be monitoring developments at the various collation centres and other locations statewide through reports by field officers to the Election Support Centre at the headquarters.

However, LASIEC has continued the deployment of non-sensitive materials across the 57 council areas to ensure a hitch-free exercise. With the early movement of the materials, the commission intends to eliminate any delay that could militate against the smooth conduct of the polls.

Also yesterday, the Transition Monitoring Group (TMG) urged the candidates, political parties and relevant stakeholders to deliver on their electoral promises.

During a debate, organised by the group in collaboration with Women Advocate Research and Documentation Centre (WARDC), Enough Is Enough (EIE) and the media for chairmanship and councillorship candidates in Lagos, TMG’s chairperson, Dr. Abiola Akiyode-Afolabi, said the exercise was to ensure that issues that agitate the grassroots were freely and seriously dissected in a manner reflective of every candidate’s standpoint.

Her words: “You will agree with me that real democracy thrives more on political debates while the whole essence of democratic elections is premised on being able to reach informed opinions, evaluating them to open debate which in turn enhances accountability by ensuring that electoral promises are accounted for by elected leaders.”

Expectedly, the gladiators promised qualitative education, affordable healthcare as well as sustainable infrastructure and better security.