Lagos Assembly confirms Justice Ayo Phillips as chair of LASIEC

Lagos House of Assembly

The Lagos State House of Assembly on Thursday confirmed the appointment of Justice Ayotunde Phillips as the Chairman of the Lagos State Independent Electoral Commission (LASIEC).

Gov. Akinwunmi Ambode had nominated Phillips, a former Chief Judge of the state, in a letter sent to the House recently.

The lawmakers took turns to extol Phillips’ experiences and her achievements as the Chief Judge of the state between 2012 and 2014.

In his remark, the Speaker of the House, Mr Mudashiru Obasa urged Phillips to prepare well describing the job as ‘serious and tasking’.

Obasa, who said that INEC work was not similar to that of the court were Phillips had worked, noted that the job would require Phillips to go round the state and understand the people and their language.

The speaker, who said that Phillips performed well in her first assignment as the chief Judge, expressed optimism that she would equally excel as the Chairman of LASEIC.

Obasa said, “The matter of elections is critical in the state and you need to prepare well. The job is not the same as chief judge, you need to do it excellently. We want a credible elections in the state.

“The job we are giving you is a serious work and we believe you are capable with your experiences and the help of God. We count on you.

“You will now need to visit all the local governments in the state during the registration for the election and during the election proper. You must be ready to do the job as required for us to have a free and fair election.”

The House through a voice vote confirmed the appointment and the speaker directed the Acting Clerk of the House, Mr Azeez Sanni to communicate the confirmation to the governor.

Earlier in her defence, Phillips said that she was prepared for the job and ready to serve the state in this capacity if she was confirmed for the job.