The Lagos State United Opposition Political Parties, LASTOP, has frowned at the inability of Lagos State government to kickstart the conduct of council polls.

Briefing newsmen in Lagos State, yesterday, former governorship candidate of the Action Alliance Party and spokesperson of LASTOP, Sola Olomola, addressed the crucial issue of the upcoming local government elections in Lagos state.

Olomola raised concerns about the delay in conducting elections into the 20 Local Government Areas, LGAs and 37 Local Council Development Areas, LCDAs in Lagos state.

He pointed out that the tenure of the current local government officials will expire in four months, yet there are no signs of preparations for the polls.

The main issue highlighted during the press conference was the refusal of the Lagos State House of Assembly, under the leadership of Right Honorable Mudashiru Obasa, to screen the nominees for the Lagos State Independent Electoral Commission, LASIEC.

The nominees have been waiting for over eight months for screening, raising suspicions of a deliberate attempt to delay the elections.

Olomola emphasized that Section 5 of the LASIEC law mandates the conduct of elections into all the 20 LGAs and 37 LCDAs in Lagos state, not just the LGAs.

He warned against any attempt to shortchange the LCDAs by conducting elections only in the LGAs, as it would be strongly resisted by opposition parties in the state.

The opposition parties are determined to challenge the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, in the upcoming elections, citing the government’s failure to bring development to the people.

They accused the APC of planning to either illegally extend the tenures of current LGA and LCDA executives or replace them with handpicked APC members, a move that would undermine democracy at the local government level.

LASTOP appealed to the judiciary to expedite the resolution of all litigations related to the screening and inauguration of LASIEC nominees to ensure timely elections in all LGAs and LCDAs. They also called for the resignation of Speaker Mudashiru Obasa if he continues to delay the screening process.

The opposition parties threatened to mobilize their members and voters to occupy the state Assembly if necessary until the screening of LASIEC nominees is completed. They condemned the Speaker’s actions and alleged that his ties to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu were influencing his decisions.

In conclusion, LASTOP reiterated their commitment to challenging the APC in the upcoming elections and called for a united effort to remove the current government from power in Lagos state.

The press conference was attended by various opposition party representatives, including Labour Party, NNPP, ZLP, and Allied Peoples Movement officials.