Lagos LG poll: Accord Party unveils Steering C’ttee, reels out guidelines
By Adeyemi Adeleye
The Lagos State chapter of the Accord Party has unveiled guidelines for aspirants contesting on its platform for Chairmanship, Vice Chairmanship and Councillorship positions in July 24 Local Government election in the state.
The Chairman, Board of Trustees of Accord Party, Rev. Adebayo Adeniyi at a news conference in Lagos said that the party had set up a seven-member Lagos Local Government Election Steering Committee to see to modalities for the poll.
Adeniyi, who noted that the party was youths-driven, said Accord was determined to bring a change to the living standard of the masses at the grassroots.
The BOT chairman, who urged all intending aspirants to channel all their electoral aspirations, application and submission through the steering committee, said there is hope for the masses with Accord Party.
Speaking, the Chairman, Accord Party LGA Election Steering Committee, Oluwarotimi Ajibola, said that committee was committed to ensuring that all guidelines were followed by whoever wanted to contest on the platform of the party.
Ajibola, who said that sales of the Expression of Interest and Nomination fees had commenced, said that the committee would look into screenings of aspirants and all appeals, before the primaries scheduled for May 30.
The chairman, who noted the party was poised about “activating votes” of people who were indifferent to electoral processes, says “We are going to attract a whole lot of youths because our party gives recognition to youths.”
“The timetable is on; Accord Party is on ground, ready and prepared. We still remain the first party on the ballot paper. We are well positioned and well placed.
“We want to activate votes because we have a lot of people out there who are still using their Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) to do only bank transactions. We need a shift from that,” Ajibola, Lagos Youth Leader of Accord Party, said.
He cautioned against election manipulations especially during collation, saying that the party’s Expression of Interest and Nomination forms were available for only public-spirited residents of the state at the party Secretariat.
“We are calling on everybody, who has the mindset just like ours to join to bring hope to the suffering masses. We welcome candidates of integrity.
“We are actually ready and we know we are going to perform better than we have done in the past because we have our technicalities and our teams on ground.
Ajibola called on Gov. Babajide Sanwo-Olu and security agents to create an atmosphere for a free, fair, credible and acceptable elections, saying security agents should be proactive and impartial.
“We want everybody to be treated fairly in this election. It is every party’s duty to campaign according to the guidelines but let no party be a threat unto another.
Ajibola expressed the committee’s commitment to making public offices open to all masses-oriented aspirants, ensure gender equality and enforce sanctity of votes and mandates.
On the Expression of Interest and nomination fees payable by aspirants, the Secretary of Accord Party, Rev. Sam Nelson said that Chairmanship, Vice Chairmanship and Councillorship aspirants would pay a sum N500,000, N100,000 and N150,000 respectively.
“The purchase of both forms are eligible to all Lagos residents of integrity and the sales will end on May 25,” he said.
LASIEC rolled out timetable and guidelines to political parties for the conduct of the election in the state.
