Lagos State Governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode on Wednesday
swore-in the Chairman and members of the Lagos State Independent Electoral
Commission (LASIEC), just as he charged them to live above board and be fair to
all parties in the discharge of their duties.
Governor Ambode, who spoke during the swearing-in ceremony
at the Lagos House, Ikeja, said the new Chairman, Justice Ayotunde Philips
(Rtd) and other members of the Commission were carefully selected based on
their track record of meritorious service and unquestionable integrity, hence
they must be transparent and fair to all without giving undue advantage to one
party over another.
The Governor said his administration places high premium on
the Rule of Law, just as he vowed that the Executive arm of government would
not do anything to directly or indirectly interfere in the affairs of the
Commission.
He said LASIEC, as the statutory body saddled with the
responsibility of conducting Local Government elections, has a critical role to
play in entrenching the democratic process in the State, and therefore the
newly sworn-in members must go all out to ensure the credibility of the
electoral process.
He said: "We have painstakingly selected people of
unquestionable integrity and track record of competence to guarantee a
credible, transparent and accountable process. Leading this team is Hon Justice
Ayotunde Philips, a retired Chief Judge of Lagos State who left a record of
meritorious service that saw her to the pinnacle of the Lagos State Judiciary.
"All I just want to say to all the members is that they must
live above board and truly live up to the public expectation as independent
umpires. You must be transparent and fair to all without giving undue advantage
to one party over another. This is only way that you can guarantee the
credibility of the process you supervise," the Governor said.
Besides, Governor Ambode thanked members of the Lagos State
House of Assembly for their due diligence and subsequent confirmation of the
Chairman and members of the Commission, as well as the timely passage of the
amendment to the LASIEC Law.
Members of the Commission are Justice Philips (Chairman),
Dr. Bunmi Omosehindemi, Mr. Lateef Raji, Mrs. Toyin Famakinwa and Mr. Olusegun
Ayedun, with Mr. Olumide Lawal as the Permanent Secretary.
Responding, Justice Philips thanked Governor Ambode for the
confidence reposed in her and other members, and assured that they would do all
within their powers to ensure credible, free and fair elections.
She also said that her tenure would witness the
transformation of LASIEC to an institution that would be envied and emulated by
other States of the Federation.
"I believe in action more than in words and people would see
as time passes that we will try to do our best and I hope that we will make
LASIEC an institution for all the other states to follow. Lagos always leads
and the judiciary in Lagos has led others in Nigeria and we intend to bring the
same to bear on LASIEC to become an institution that the rest of the country
will envy and will seek to emulate," she said.
She added that her team will go back to the drawing board
and critically appraise the situation on ground, while an election date would
thereafter be determined in due course.
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