July 12: Civic groups raise alarm over irregularities in Lagos Local Government elections

In a joint statement obtained by Ikeja Record, the Digital Future Development Initiative (DiF-DI), AdvoKC Foundation and Poliz criticised LASIEC for the late release of candidate lists and failure to provide critical voter information.

Three civic organisations on Thursday raised concerns about irregularities in the conduct of the upcoming local government elections in Lagos.

As at the time of filing this report, the Public Relations Officer of the Lagos State Independent Electoral Commission (LASIEC), Mr. Ojo Tope, was yet to respond to Ikeja Record’s questions, in relation to the organisations’ grave concerns.

In a joint statement obtained by Ikeja Record, the Digital Future Development Initiative (DiF-DI), AdvoKC Foundation and Poliz criticised LASIEC for the late release of candidate lists and failure to provide critical voter information.

According to the civic groups, LASIEC published the final list of qualified and disqualified candidates only five days before the July 12 election, leaving no time for aggrieved aspirants to appeal. 

The groups claimed this move violates the constitutional right to fair hearing and leaves voters without enough time to properly assess the candidates.

The organisations also faulted L…