An Election monitoring group, YIAGA Africa has urged the Lagos State Independent Electoral Commission (LASIEC) to conduct a free and fair local government election across the 20 local government areas and 37 LCDAs of the State.
This was revealed in a statement made available to PMParrot on Friday in Ikeja, Lagos State.
The group, however, expressed worry over the absence of periodic, genuine and transparent elections at local government areas in Nigeria which has remained a major threat to the country’s democracy.
“Twenty-two years after democracy, local government areas in Nigeria still struggle with poor governance, the absence of periodic, credible elections, and almost non-existent governance structures that promote citizen engagement and accountability”.
The worst fate of the local government areas in Nigeria remains the overbearing control by state governors and a select few (power brokers) who have perfected a system that both impoverishes the people and denies the people a voice when the elections are rigged”.
YIAGA Africa further revealed elections will be held in 13,323 polling units in the 20 LGAs and the 37 LCDAs with a total number of six million five hundred and seventy thousand, two hundred and ninety-one (6,570,291) registered voters expected to vote during the election.
Yiaga Africa further stated that in a recent feasibility study on the challenges and prospects of Local Government elections in Nigeria taking Oyo and Lagos States as case studies revealed there are opportunities for election stakeholders to improve on the process to guarantee the sanctity of ballots and increase citizens participation in the process.
YIAGA added that only 12 political parties will be contesting in the LGA elections while revealing that the campaigns were dominated by two parties, the All Progressive Congress (APC) and the People’s Democratic Party in the State.
Packaged By Emmanuel Adeniran
