Kwara PDP Alleges Election Fraud, Calls For Fresh LG Elections… Thanks Kwarans For Their Enthusiasm

The leading opposition party in Kwara State, the PDP, has rejected the outcome of Saturday’s Local Government elections, describing it as ‘a desecration of democracy, a waste of taxpayers’ money and an elevation of  election fraud to heights never witnessed before in the state’.

The party in a statement made available to Team@orientactualmags.com by its state Publicity Secretary, Mr. Olusegun Olusola Adewara called for the conduct of a fresh election. while accusing the ruling APC under Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq of working in connivance with the Kwara State Independent Electoral Commission (KWSIEC) to ‘manipulate the local government elections and subvert the people’s will’.

The party has also expressed readiness to explore legal means to reclaim what it called ‘stolen mandate of the people’.

Kwara State PDP has also demanded that a properly constituted tribunal that will be headed by a judge of the High Court, as required by the law should be in place while rejecting the one earlier set up by the state government for allegedly falling short of constitutional requirements. 

The party also berated KWSIEC for allowing itself to be used to allegedly  conduct a shoddy election which had denied over 85% of the electorates their right to vote at polling stations across the 16 local governments in the state.

‘The crude manner in which the ruling APC government in connivance with a highly compromised Kwara State Independent Electoral Commission (KWSIEC), usurped the people’s mandate to elect their local leaders has left Kwarans frustrated and aggrieved.

 KWSIEC’s actions on the Election Day not only fell short of the minimum global standards expected of an electoral umpire but also openly facilitated and participated in the desecration of democracy that occurred across Kwara State.

Voting did not take place in about 85% of the polling stations and wards across the 16 local governments in the state. The people rejected an orchestrated plot to use the few ballot papers released to some polling stations as a basis for authenticating a premeditated outcome’ the statement said.

The PDP also claimed that its candidates won in the few areas where voting took place, but it was allegedly cancelled, and officials were forced to announce the APC candidates as the winners.

‘Where voting took place, the people massively voted for PDP candidates, and in several instances, they were declared winners before KWSIEC officials reversed these victories in a shocking display of impunity.

In Kwara Central and parts of Kwara North, particularly in Patigi Local Government, PDP candidates won resoundingly. KWSIEC officials validly sorted, counted, and declared our candidates victorious, with some of these moments captured and shared on social media.

However, these victories were magically overturned. The results, which were declared in favour of PDP candidates in places like Ilorin West, Ilorin South, Ilorin East, and Asa LG, were manipulated, with cooked-up figures announced to favour the APC candidates.

The case in Patigi Local Government was particularly shameful. The Electoral Officer (EO) was kidnapped by the APC thugs, forced into a room, and made to declare PDP’s results invalid under duress. This video, which has been circulated widely, shows an EO speaking against his will. Despite this, the same invalid results were later announced in favour of APC, even though no fresh voting exercise took place’ he said.

The party added that the situation was the same in Kwara South Senatorial district, as electorates across almost all polling stations refused to allow voting, due to the failure of KWSIEC to provide result sheets and complete ballot papers.

‘In the Kwara South district, voting did not take place in Offa, Oyun, Irepodun, Ifelodun, Ekiti, and Oke Ero local governments.

KWSIEC officials were either unavailable or deliberately delayed their arrival at polling stations, only to refuse to provide materials when they eventually showed up. At many locations, the number of ballot papers released was not more than 10% of the number of registered voters, while in others, no materials were delivered at all.

These deliberate actions were aimed at disenfranchising voters and manipulating the outcome of the elections. Moreover, KWSIEC officials at several polling stations had no result sheets and were instructed to record results on pages torn from notebooks, further evidencing the fraudulent nature of the process’ the party added.

While thanking party members, supporters and the good people of Kwara State for coming out in large numbers to exercise their civic rights. PDP called for the conduct of fresh polls noting that failure to do this will force the party to take a legal action.

“Our position as a party is clear: no legitimate election took place in the 16 LGAs and 192 wards in Kwara State on September 21, 2024. The farce that occurred was nothing more than a waste of taxpayers’ resources and a disgrace to democracy.

The people of Kwara have rejected this charade, and we call for the immediate cancellation of the election results. We demand the conduct of free, fair, and transparent elections that will allow the true will of the people to prevail’ the statement added–Team@orientactualmags.com  Do you have any information you wish to share with us? Do you want us to cover your event or programme? Kindly send SMS to 08059100286, 09094171980 or get in touch via orientactualmag@gmail.com.  Thank you