Council Elections: Deploys electoral materials early, YIAGA Africa charges LASIEC

*Wants LASIEC to improve its communication, engagement with election stakeholders

YIAGA Africa has charged the Lagos State Independent Electoral Commission (LASIEC) to ensure early deployment of electoral materials in the state’s council elections that will see Lagosians voting for new or returning chairmen, vice-chairmen and councillors in the state.
Director of Programmes, YIAGA Africa, Cynthia Mbamalu, made the charges when speaking with the newsmen at a press conference in Lagos on Friday ahead of the election tomorrow, Saturday 24th July 2021.

Mbamalu tasked the organiser of the council elections in Lagos to ensure that there is uniformity of consistency in the application of guidelines across all polling stations by election officials.

According to her, LASIEC must improve on its communication and engagement with election stakeholders. The commission should improve its collaboration with election observers, CSOs, security and the media. It must be transparent and accountable to boost citizens’ confidence in the local government area election process.
“For future local government area elections, LASIEC should provide a simple process to facilitate timely accreditation for domestic observers.

” Security agencies should collaborate with the commission to secure election materials, personnel and citizens. She charged them to be professional in the discharge of their duties during the election.

“Security personnel deployed for the election should conduct themselves with the utmost sense of responsibility, professionalism and impartiality. They should be on the alert to forestall any attempt to circumvent the election using violence and intimidation”, she said.
On COVID-19 protocols, she said: “Voters should adhere to COVID-19 public health protocols by adhering to all the non-pharmaceutical protocols, including the practice of physical distancing and frequent washing of hands, or use hand sanitisers.”