Hon. Olusegun Olulade, a lawmaker representing Epe constituency II in the Lagos State House Assembly has said the Assembly amended the Lagos State Independent Electoral Commission, LASIEC law within a day barely four days to the local government election to ‘satisfy yeaning of the masses’.
It will be recalled that Lagos Assembly drew the ire of the public for amending the LASIEC law within a day without conducting public hearing or call for memoranda from political parties and other stakeholders.
The amendment among other things allows political parties to replace candidates at least three days to the election.
The United Action for Change, a civil society group described the act as legislative indecency of highest order.
In an attempt to justify the unprecedented act, Olulade said it was expedient for the Lagos State House of Assembly to tinker with the law even while local government election was four days away.
He said, “We carried out that action to satisfy the yearning of the masses that we represent in the Assembly. We are people-oriented Assembly”.
On why the Assembly never conducted public hearing, sought memoranda from stakeholders or consulted political parties whose interests could be largely impacted by the amendments, Odulade claimed that notice was issued before the amendment took place.
“ I am happy you know that the Lagos State House of Assembly usually conducts public hearing, engage civil society groups and other stakeholders. But this amendment (LASIEC) needed urgency.
“ We didn’t do anything untoward. We only carried out the functions we were elected which was in the best interest of our people’, Olulade said on City Fm 105.1 last Saturday”.
