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Lagos LG Election: NCP Says Stringent Election Guidelines APC Ploy To Impose Candidates

At a press conference held at the party’s office in Ikeja on Monday, its leadership described the new guidelines as a ploy by the APC-led state government to impose its “handpicked” candidates on the public.

The National Conscience Party (NCP) says the local government election guidelines as released by the Lagos State Independent Electoral Commission (LASEIC) are impossible for many Lagosians to abide by.

At a press conference held at the party’s office in Ikeja on Monday, its leadership described the new guidelines as a ploy by the APC-led state government to impose its “handpicked” candidates on the public.

It claimed that in spite of the peaceful primary election conducted by the party, the state electoral body still denied 77 of its candidates' election forms and registration to participate in the coming council election.

“77 candidates of the National Conscience Party for Lagos Council elections have been wickedly denied forms and registration. NCP candidates were not given electoral forms when the NCP Lagos State leadership requested for them, in effect, we are being ostracized along with millions of people that can never meet the conditions imposed by LASEIC” the party said.

It decried the demand for three years tax clearance, resident card/permit and the sum of N50,000 by LASEIC as “wicked, crude, undemocratic” and a deviation from the standard led by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

Also speaking at the conference, Olakunle Wiseman, a member of the political party, asked if the leaders of the state’s ruling party can fulfill the requirements established by the state electoral body.

Wiseman noted that if such former governors as Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Babatunde Raji Fashola could not be bothered about tax clearance, it would be immoral to demand it of those contesting for local government offices.

“The issue of tax clearance is very much illegal. Let Tinubu himself come out and present his tax clearance, he has contested elections twice in this state and he has billions of naira in his accounts everywhere. He has companies he has stolen from Lagos state government. Where is his tax clearance?” he demanded.

“How do you ask people to come with resident card? It is abnormal anywhere. During the Lagos at 50 years anniversary, they said Lagos is home for all and you’re forcing people to come and have a resident card”.

He asserted that the constitution of the country does not recognize resident cards and that it cannot therefore be demanded by a state.

To that end, he urged all residents of Lagos state to resist the planned June 22nd council election.

Speaking on the ideology of NCP, Olakunle said the current government was scared of NCP’s masses-focused programs.

“They are afraid that we are going to restore Lagos State to a real welfare state. They are also afraid that we are going to expose all the billions of naira they have stolen from this state. They are afraid we are going to return the land of people of Otodo Gbame, Badia and all the other places to them,” he said.

He stated that this is the manifesto of the NCP and the reason APC is “bringing all these anti-people, unconstitutional, and illegal guidelines.”

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