The Lagos state PDP has strongly criticised the selection and eventual confirmation of four member-commissioners of the Lagos State Independent Electoral Commission, LASIEC.

The party berated Governor Akinwunmi Ambode and the State House of Assembly for “nakedly neglecting due process and flouting the state Electoral Laws which prohibits members of political parties from being part of LASIEC composition.”

The PDP, in a statement issued on Tuesday by its State Publicity Secretary, Taofik Gani claimed that the particular inclusion of Lateef Raji as LASIEC Commissioner to conduct council polls in Lagos State was an unequivocal resolve by the Ambode to rig the proposed polls in favour of his Party, the All Progressives Congress, APC.

“Lateef Raji has always been a card carrying member of parties. From AD, which he acted as chairman during the factionalisation, to being a member of AC; ACN and now APC. He just served as Special Assistant to former Governor Babatunde Fashola.

“He presently has his posters and banners in Lagos and Ondo States to contest the Ondo governorship election. He is thus unfit and improper to act as umpire in a contest which APC will contest in,” the party said.

According to PDP, the continuous retention of Justice Fatai Adeyinka (retired) as LASIEC chairman and now confirming Raji as LASIEC commissioner is conclusive of APC and Ambode as anti-democrats, despot and desperate to control all the councils in the state.

“This is insulting the sensibilities of Lagos voters, all well meaning persons must condemn this act. The purported commissioner and the LASIEC chairman must be removed to allow for reasonably fair polls.

“If they are not removed, the APC can as well continue to violate the political rights of Lagosians to vote for their choice in a free and fair election. They should continue in the illegal, unconstitutional and fraudulent Local Councils now headed by aberration Executive Secretaries”

“The PDP projects that the coming council polls to be superintended by Governor Ambode is obviously going to surpass the previous polls in the acts of rigging and imposition. It would be recalled that the last council polls results were announced by LASIEC with no figures,” the party said.

According to PDP, “ The areas we won like Badagry, Agbado-Oke Odo, Ikoyi-Obalende, Somolu, and so on were hijacked by LASIEC acting the script written by the former governor. This may not be different”

“The PDP counsels the Ambode-led APC government to prevent anarchy in the state by doing the expedient, needful, which is constituting a LASIEC that can conduct manifestly free, fair, credible council polls.”