UNILAG Estate’s residents accuse Lagos LCDA of interfering in election

The residents of the University of Lagos (UNILAG) Estate in the Magodo area of Lagos State have accused the Ikosi/Isheri Local Council Development Area (LCDA),  of attempting to cancel a properly conducted election in the estate.

The estate’s Residents Association was said to have conducted an election in November 2024 and had a new constituted executive committee.

The association however accused the Ikosi-Isheri LCDA which Princess Samiat Bada, fondly called Mayoress, chairs, of meddling in the affairs of the estate.

A source disclosed that the result of the elections didn’t favour the Mayoress’ preferred candidate for the estate chairman, making the “disqualified Alhaji Bayo Alli” proceed towards using his influence with the Mayoress to allegedly suppress the new executive committee, and kept them from peaceful conduct since then.

The source added: “The then incumbent Alhaji Bayo Alli was fond of impunity, which made him flout published electoral guidelines on three different occasions, the final straw being against campaigns after a designated deadline.

“His usual practice of impunity prompted his disqualification from the election, which caused him and his supporters to having held the otherwise peaceful estate to ransom, to such extent their January OGM was rancorous and rowdy, until the intervention of the Elders Forum chairman, Professor Akere, seeing that the Police officers invited by Alhaji Bayo Alli were biased, and further enflaming passions.

“Attempts at peaceful resolution got scuttled during the last peace talks at the Ikosi-Isheri LCDA office, by the Mayoress walking in toward its conclusion under the supervision of Mr Salami the LCDA Vice-chairman, and declaring the held elections null and void, under the notion of an unknown date pronounced by the LASG.

“Her declaration being on the realisation that the LCDA lacked jurisdiction to entertain further hearing, as the laws stipulate that petitions against any such electoral matters be done not later than seven days after incident, and the Alli led petitioners were several days in breach of that provision.

“Furthermore, the estate Executive Committee insist that the LCDA having demonstrated partiality based on observations over the first two meetings held, the matter was better taken to the court.

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“Such a stipulated date was never communicated to the estate association, from feelers gathered, even though the Council was notified and invited to the AGM/Elections formally by writing, which was acknowledged, and also represented.

“The Mayoress being determined to have her preferred candidate imposed on the estate constituted herself into the judge and jury position, blatantly declared that as far as she’s concerned, there was no election, and went further with threats that the new estate administration must desist from operations.

“She threatened to use police to stop the next estate general meetings, and have any further payment of salaries, or other estate expenses penalised.

“News reaching us indicate that the disqualified Alhaji Bayo Alli is strenuously digging in with his contacts at the LCDA, frequenting their office on visits, to keep piling pressure until his stay in office gets extended.”

The source further disclosed that the Residents Association has called for the assistance of the Lagos State Government and petitioned the state ministry overseeing Local Government Administration, requesting intervention.

“They also hereby appeal to public spirited personalities in Lagos State, to intervene and help prevent this tension and brewing crisis.

“Princess Sambiat Bada aka Mayoress of Ikosi-Isheri LCDA is neither a judge, nor the LCDA a court of law; they therefore overstretch their boundaries by cancelling statute guided elections, all because their preferred candidate violated election guidelines, and got disqualified by the duly constituted Electoral Committee, backed by the members of the Association during the Annual General Meeting, based on the Estate’s Memorandum of Association.”

Reacting, a council official, Yinusa Salami, said it’s the constitutional right of the council to monitor elections done in the CDA’s under the council area.

Salami affirmed that the UNILAG Estate wrote the LCDA of their intention to conduct election but didn’t get official response from the council before going ahead with the election.

He denied that the council was represented in the election, adding that anybody could have claimed that he came from the council.

Salami said: “The council was not there, didn’t send a representative, and there was no official communication between us and the estate as to the date of the election.

“We later received a petition from the incumbent chairman that his votes were not counted after the election.

“As an arbiter, we invited both parties to get to the root of the crisis and to know why a candidate will vie for a position and his votes will not be counted while declaring his opponent a winner.

“Our interest is for peace to reign in the estate rather than taking sides with any group.”

The Star