The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chairmanship candidates in the just-held local government elections in Kwara State, Musbau Esinrogunjo and Ismail Muhammed, said they have decided to take legal action against the state’s electoral commission over alleged irregularities in the last Saturday exercise.
Esinrogunjo contested for the Ilorin West local government while Muhammed contested for the Ilorin East.
Addressing newsmen at the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) secretariat on old Offa road, Ilorin, Esinrogunjo described the election as a charade with enough mockery to last the entire term of any successful candidate in office.
He described the September 21 election as a “broad daylight robbery where the government of Kwara State in connivance with Kwara State Independent Electoral Commission fraudulently took away the mandate that was freely given to me by the good people of Ilorin West LGA.”
He alleged that the Saturday council poll was characterized by irregularities ranging from voter intimidation and harassment by security agencies, voter manipulation by the officials of KWASIEC, and vote-buying by government officials, “yet, the people of Ilorin West LGA known for their integrity and gallantry stood their ground and voted for us massively across all the polling units and electoral wards.”
He added that in the end: “the unpopular government of Kwara State overturned the results of the election. The will of the people was subverted. Election results was announced at unknown place against all odds.
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“To make the matters worse, they hurriedly swear-in the candidates of their party that lost woefully in the field. This is a democratic coup that is not acceptable and will not stand the test of time.
“Even in most of the place where there was no election, they also announced winners, in most cases, they did not even allow our agents to sign the result they announced.
“The result of the councilors were supposed to be announced at Ward collations Centre, while the result of the chairman was supposed to be announced at the local government secretariat which is the collation center, but a very unfortunate result was announced at an unknown place.”
He appealed to the populace to remain calm and peaceful, pledging that “we shall do everything legally possible to defend the mandate you gave to me and reclaim it in due course.”
Speaking in the same vein, Mohammed of the Ilorin South local government assured that all PDP candidates would explore legal means to press for their mandates.
