Kwara LG elections: Divergent views trail results declared by KWSIEC

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Kwara State and the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) have expressed varying positions on the results of last Saturday local government elections in the state.

The Chairman of the State Independent Electoral Commission (KWSIEC), Mohammed Baba-Okanla, briefed the press on Sunday early morning that APC cleared all 16 championship and 193 councillors seats across the state.

Subsequently, the PDP members later expressed dissatisfaction by staging a protest at KWASIEC in the Fate area of Ilorin, while the APC commended the people of the state for their support at the polls.

PDP members with placards bearing different inscriptions, including: “Kwara people say no to continuation of bad governance led by APC; LG Election results declared by KWASIEC is fake; Govt, KWASIEC changes the results of the election in favour of APC and; KWASIEC robs PDP in Kwara LG Elections,” among others.

Former commissioner Hajia Saratu Adebayo, who led the protest, accused KWASIEC of forging the results of the much touted elections.

She said: “PDP won the chairmanship election in the 16 local government areas of the state but was falsely awarded to APC by KWASIEC.

“KWASIEC, in collaboration with the state government and APC changed and stole the votes of the people of Kwara state.

“Though the PDP is not happy with the process of the election, but we are peace loving people, KWASIEC should do the needful,” she urged.

She, however, appealed to the KWASIEC Chairman to declare the true results of the election cast by the people of the state in the Saturday local government elections and declare the PDP candidates as the winners of the elections.

Meanwhile, the APC has commended the people of the state for the peaceful conduct during the election and for supporting the party.

APC, in a statement by its chairman, Prince Sunday Fagbemi, on Saturday, commended the people for the large turnout reported the previous day, expressing gratitude for the huge support for all of the party’s candidates in the election.

APC said: “official results from across polling units in the 16 local governments showed impressive performance by the party in the chairmanship and councillorship elections across the 16 local council areas.

“We thank the people of Kwara State for their show of support and the confidence reposed in our party. We commend them for coming out to vote for APC in spite of the intimidation by the opposition elements,” party chairman Prince Sunday Fagbemi said.

“We commend the electoral body, KWSIEC, for the good showing, the impartiality of its officials, and its prompt and professional responses to late arrival of materials and procedural hitches in a few areas. Also, we commend the people of Kwara State for their peaceful conduct throughout.

“We condemn the futile attempts of the opposition PDP to disrupt elections in some parts, especially in Offa, where miscreants made fruitless efforts to undermine the process. A popular party had no reason to disrupt the process of the election. But that was what the PDP tried to do after its initial plan to stop the election through the courts failed woefully. We thank the electorate for resisting their antics and voting for our party.

“So far, so good, our party is poised to emerge victorious in a superlative way in this election. It is all too clear, from Central to South and North. We commend Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq for his leadership, his peaceful disposition, and his clear democratic credentials that have all played out in this election,” Fagbemi said.