The Youth Party accused the commissioners of the Independent Electoral Commission of the State of Lagos (LASIEC) of intimidation and non -professional conduct during a detection exercise, claiming that officials threatened to arrest the representatives of the party.
The controversy exploded when the LAIC commissioners requested permanent voter cards (PVC) for the 20 nominees of the parties and insisted on original copies of academic certificates during the detection process; The requirements that the claims of the party were never mentioned in the official invitation letter.
According to the presidency candidate, Ayodele Adio, the tensions intensified when he questioned the unleashed requirements, which led to an aggressive behavior of the commissioners who allegedly shouted to the candidates and called the police to get them out of the facilities.
The incident has raised serious concerns about electoral equity and due process in the local government elections of the state of Lagos.
Ayodele Adio, the presidency candidate of the Youth Party who was threatened with arrest during the incident, described the conduct of the commissioners as “completely unacceptable and antidemocratic.”
“When the time for the projection came, they suddenly demanded PVC for all our original nominees and certificates, but none of this was in their letter for us.
“When we cut politely that these requirements were not communicated in advance, they became hostile and aggressive. They began to shout us and threaten arrests simply by asking legitimate questions about their procedures. It is not how an electoral commission should behave in a democracy.
“If electoral officials can threaten candidates with arrest for asking basic procedure questions, what message does that send to young people who want to participate in governance? This type of intimidation does not take place in our democratic process,” Adio told reporters.
According to reports, the threats extended to other party candidates, including vice president David Oyebanji and the candidate for Councilor Jamiu Ayinde, who was also present during the detection exercise.
According to Oyebanji, the behavior of the commissioners created a hostile atmosphere that violated the basic principles of administrative equity and electoral neutrality.
“Consequently, the youth party is asking for immediate actions to address what it describes as serious misconduct by the commissioners of Lasic.
“The party has demanded a public apology, an investigation into the officials involved and the disciplinary action against those responsible for the alleged intimidation.
“The part has also requested that PSIC provides clear and written guidelines for all future detection processes to avoid similar incidents and guarantee transparency in electoral procedures,” he said.
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