Soji Ajibola writes on the quest of the Alliance for democracy and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to upturn the decision of the local government elections in Lagos State, which favoured the ruling Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN).THE dust raised by the last local government election in the 57 local government areas of Lagos State is yet to settle, especially with the ongoing cases at the Election Petitions Tribunal and the Ikeja High Court where the Alliance for Democracy, (AD) is questioning the rationale behind its exclusion from the list of participating political parties.Though commenting on the cases before the court of law in the legal parlance is termed as subjudice and punishable under the law, the people of the state are looking forward to the outcome of the case involving the Alliance for Democracy and the Lagos State Independent Electoral Commission (LASIEC).Disturbed by the alleged disenfranchisement of its members, the party headed for the court of law before the conduct of the election to seek redress and as well stop the conduct of the election by the electoral body. But the case could not be heard. The election was conducted and concluded and the majority of the seats were won by the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN).Though the result declared by the LASIEC in some local government areas such as Badagry, Kosofe, Eredo, Kosofe have become the subject of litigation, political pundits opined that the pendulum of victory may swing in favour of the litigant. Based on the argument and the submission of the state chairman of the party, Kola Ajayi, LASIEC has no right to disqualify the candidates presented by the party, noting that the party has been participating in the previous elections conducted by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).Prior to the conduct of the last April 2011 general election, there was a report that the party had merged with the ACN. However, its chairman submitted that though a faction of the party had aligned with the ruling party in the state, the AD still remained independent, adding that there was no reason for LASIEC to base its justification on a report by afaction of the party.'Like every other constitutionally registered political parties, we presented candidates for screening by the LASIEC. But to our uttermost surprise, we were made to know by the officials of the electoral body that the party has merged with the ACN. There was no iota of truth in this submission, bearing in mind that we have been participating in previous election Conducted by the INEC. How can the state electoral body deny us our constitutional rights''Noting the effect of such decision on the future of the party and as well as that of our members in the state, we filed application before the Lagos High Court, aimed at restraining LASIEC from going ahead with the conduct of election. But sadly enough, the case was not heard, as the election was concluded and winners were said to be declared by the leadership of the electoral body,' the AD chairman stated.The chairman of the party also alleged that the leadership of the ACN actually masterminded the non-participation of the party in the local government election, adding that it was indeed a calculated attempt to kill the party in the state. The reason he gave was that the ACN basically saw the AD as a threat to the continuous dominance of the ruling ACN in the state.The people of the state, according to him, are, disenchanted with the performance of the ACN-led government, especially at the grass-roots level. This manifested during the last local government election. Over 84.3 per cent of the electorate in the state voted for the opposition party while some preferred to stay indoor as means of registering their protest.Speaking on his party, the chieftain claimed that 'the Alliance for Democracy (AD) remained the only political party in the country with a democratic foundation. Knowing full well that it is widely acceptable not only in Lagos State but also across the country as a whole, the ACN members are now seeing it as a threat and are ready to do anything to thwart its ambition,' adding that if the former governor and the national leader of the ACN, Chief Bola Ahmed Tinubu, could get a fair hearing during his trial by the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB), according to the AD chieftain, nothing stops the AD from triumphing at the court.'The judiciary has proved to be the last hope of the people, and we hope this will be repeated at the state level. Inasmuch as we are not pre-empting the court, we are hoping to see light at the end of the tunnel,' he concluded.Should the pendulum of victory swing in favour of the AD, there could be a fresh election in the state. But the question is, can the AD pose a threat to the ruling ACN in the state' In response to this poser, the party chieftain said though the party is preparing for the 2015, 'if the situation arises that there elections will be a fresh election in the state, I can boldly tell you that the party will defeat the ACN.'He further spoke on the plans of the party, saying 'ahead of the conduct of the 2015 general election, we have started mobilising the people by embarking on neighbour-to-neighbour campaign, letting people know that the party is not dead as being made to believe. With the evidence before the court, political pundits are of the opinion that the pendulum of the victory may swing in favour of the litigant, with reference to cases previously decided by the Election Petitions Tribunal.Meanwhile, having lost the majority of the seats to the ruling ACN in the last local government election held in the 57 local government areas of the state, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has also shifted the battlefield to the Election Petitions Tribunal at Ikeja and Lagos Island respectively, hoping to turn the table against the ruling party.The ruling ACN, as announced by the chairman of the LASIEC, Justice Adeyinka, won the chairmanship seats in all the 57 local government areas of the state while the PDP and the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) have the councillor seats to themselves. The announcement of the result has since become a subject of controversies, especially the way and manner it was handled. Irked by this development, some youths in the state took to the streets, calling for the cancellation of the results announced by LASIEC chairman, based on the argument that it had no correlation with what happened on the field.The protest took another dimension in places like Lagos Island, Eredo Local Council Development Area, Badagry, Kosofe and Ikoyi/Obalende areas. The entrance of the Kosofe Local Government Area was put under lock and key, while the people of Eredo tied palmfronts around the council. The people of Badagry accused the chairman of the state electoral body of upturning the result announced by the returning Officer, just as some residents of the Lagos Island said the votes cast in the area were not counted, querying the curious decision of the annouced the resultby LASIEC.The Campaign Manager of the PDP chairmanship candidate in the area, Babajide Obanikoro, submitted that the Returning Officer for the LCDA disappeared with the ballot papers while the people were waiting at the collation centre, as specified by the Electoral Act for the collation and the announcement of the result. However, while people were waiting for the collation of the result, the state chairman of LASIEC went on air and announced the result.The whole scenario, according to Obanikoro, is nothing but a rape on the nation's democracy, adding that 'The ACN has no moral justification to accuse any political party in the country of rigging because its leadership, members are not only impostors but master riggers. Though some people in the state are having second thought about the tribunal, I can boldly tell you that with the evidence in our care, we are sure of victory.'Also, the Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Mr Taofik Gani, said a total of 60 petitions with convincing evidence are before the tribunal and the party is sure of recording victory in all the petitions filed. The case, according to him, is at the preliminary stage, though it is expected to be decided within 30 days of the commencement of the hearing. 'At this stage, what we are demanding is the inspection of the ballot papers; this will serve as background to our argument,' he said.He added: 'In the case of Badagry, the party recorded the proceeding, especially the announcement of the result by the Returning Officer before it was later upturned by the chairman of the LASIEC. The people of the Lagos were robbed and we were ready to go to any length in accordance with the law to reclaim our mandate.'Noting that the relevance of the case concerns not only the members of the PDP but also the entire people of the state, he said the party, on its own, is handling cases of over 30 aspirants that were financially crippled, as the economic situation of the country would have deprived them of reclaiming their mandates.'Also, the presence of the people at the tribunal is an indication that the people are tired of the ACN political dominance in the state. They are yearning for a change which they hope they can only get in the PDP, especially with reference to the recent hike in the fee at the state-owned Lagos State University from N25,000 to between N250,000 to N300,000 and the introduction of toll on Lekki/Epe expressway,' he said.The ruling ACN, according to a Managing Director of the AMEN Estate, Lekki Pennisula, Mr Babatunde Gbadamosi, during the campaign, promised to ameliorate the suffering of the people but it was sad to note that 'they are like the Biblical Rehoboam chastising people with scorpion.Describing the introduction of the toll-gate on the Lekki/Epe expressway as an imprisonment project, the estate manager, in his analysis, said the sum of the project is N6.134bn as against N50bn presented by the government. The obnoxious tax introduced and imposed on the people of the Lekki peninsula by an oppressive government is aimed at milking the people of the area dry.This, according to him, is one of the many factors why the people of the state voted against the ruling party, adding that 'with the evidence before the court, the PDP will triumph.' Also, during a peaceful protest, led by the former national vice-chairman of the party, Chief Olabode George, he expressed confidence that the party would reclaim his mandate at the tribunal.The party, according to him, was allegedly raped by the ruling ACN in conjunction with the Lagos State Independent Electoral Commission, and it is now time for the people of the state to rise in defence of their rights. Calling on the people to eschew violence, the party chieftain said with the evidence at the disposal of the party, going to tribunal will turn out to be a success.'What was experienced during the last local government election was nothing but a rape on the nation's democratic rule. The people have reacted, they have registered their displeasure through their votes and they are now saying 'no' to the administration of impostors in the state,' he concluded.However, with all the cases in the court against the ruling ACN, it remained to be seen if the opposition parties would triumph at the court of law. Once more, the judiciary has the duty to uphold the rule of law and, more importantly, confirm the yearnings of the electorate as far as choosing their leaders is concerned.
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