Faction crisis in Labour Party prevented LASIEC’s participation in primaries – Okikiolu-Ighile

The Chairman of the Lagos State Independent Electoral Commission, LASIEC, Justice Bola Okikiolu-Ighile (retd.), has clarified the commission’s absence from the Labour Party’s (LP) primaries ahead of the July 12 local government elections.

Speaking at a stakeholders’ forum held Thursday in Ikeja, themed “Enhancing a Credible and Inclusive Local Government Elections in Lagos,” Okikiolu-Ighile revealed that three rival factions within the Labour Party in Lagos each claimed legitimacy and had separately invited LASIEC to monitor their respective primaries.

According to her, the commission refrained from participating due to the lack of official guidance from the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on which faction to recognize.

“We just go there to observe the primaries. We were at ACME last week Saturday during the chairmanship primaries, and all our electoral officers were in different wards,” she explained.

“Today (Thursday), Labour Party invited us, but unfortunately, due to the factions, we could not attend. On our records, we have three different names from different factions, and because of that, we had to forward a letter to INEC for counsel.

“So, without that, we are not attending. We have intimated every faction of the Labour Party in question about our stance, and I am sure they will resolve it.”

She noted that LASIEC had continued to engage with other political parties ahead of the elections, including the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the Social Democratic Party (SDP), whose primaries are scheduled for Saturday.

On administrative fees for aspirants, Okikiolu-Ighile explained that LASIEC had adopted a considerate approach, setting the fees at N150,000 for chairmanship aspirants, N75,000 for vice-chairmanship, and N50,000 for councillorship. She added that exemptions have been granted to women, youth, and Persons Living with Disabilities (PWDs) to encourage wider participation.

The forum, which was well-attended by stakeholders, traditional rulers, and market leaders, focused on building a more inclusive and credible local election process. Participants emphasized the need for collaboration to address voter apathy and mitigate election-related violence.

Former Permanent Secretary of the Lagos State Ministry of Information and Strategy, Mr. Fola Adeyemi, in his keynote address highlighted the importance of electoral integrity and institutional autonomy.

Adeyemi also called for a more efficient LASIEC, saying, “LASIEC must be autonomous; there should be no interference. There must be continuous sensitization and education of the voting public, provision of adequate security to ensure the process is seamless, and information technology must be improved and well integrated.”