Protest as APC, PDP differ on results

The People’s Democratic Party and the ruling All Progressives Congress have taken different sides on the results of the recent Local Government elections held in Kwara State on Saturday.

Chairman of the Kwara State Independent Electoral Commission, Mohammed Baba-Okanla, in a statement made available to the press on Sunday morning said that APC won the championship and councillorship elections in the 16 LG councils and 193 wards of the state, respectively.

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While the PDP members staged a protest at KWASIEC’s office in the Fate area of Ilorin, the state capital, on Sunday, the APC commended the people of the state for their support during the elections.

The PDP members carried placards with different inscriptions, condemning the KWASIEC for being partial in the elections.

Some of the placards read: “Kwara people say no to the continuation of bad governance led by the APC,” “LG election results declared by KWASIEC is fake,” among others.

Speaking with newsmen, a former Commissioner in the state who led the protest, Saratu Adebayo, accused the state electoral commission of forging the results, saying, “The PDP won the chairmanship election in the 16 local government areas of the state but was falsely awarded to the APC by KWASIEC.

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

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

She appealed to the commission’s chairman to declare the true results of the election cast by the people and announce the PDP candidates as the winners of the elections.

However, the APC, in a statement signed by its chairman, Sunday Fagbemi, read, “The official results from across polling units in the 16 local government areas 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 the APC in spite of the intimidation by the opposition elements.

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

The state PDP chairman condemned “the futile attempts of the opposition PDP to disrupt the election 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.”