‘Unfortunate’ Outcome Of 2024 LG Elections Has Taken Kwara Closer To Autocracy…Our People Are Expected To Make ‘Life Decision’ In 2027-Former PDP Councillorship Candidates
Kwara State PDP members, who were councillorship candidates in the local government elections held in the state on September 21, 2024, gathered to do a post mortem of the election in question at the ABS Constituency office, Olorunsogo, Ilorin, on Sunday .
They criticized the Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq administration and also chronicled how the state government and the electoral umpire, Kwara State Independent Electoral Commission (KWASIEC), allegedly carried out electoral fraud last year.
Presiding over the press conference held to mark the first anniversary of the 2024 local government elections which was attended by journalists including Team@orientactualmags.com, Comrade Saka Muftau Aromaradu, who is the Coordinator of Kwara State PDP 2024 Councillorship Candidates, submitted that although the PDP candidates had institutions stacked against them, they however allegedly earned election victories that were aborted by the ruling party, the APC.
‘We stand before you today, not in celebration, but in solemn remembrance of September 21st, 2024 – a day that shall forever remain etched in the annals of Kwara State’s political history being the day democracy was murdered in broad daylight.
Today marks precisely 365 days since the Kwara State Independent Electoral Commission under the questionable Baba Okanla’s leadership in an unholy collaboration with Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq and the All Progressives Congress, orchestrated the most brazen electoral fraud in the history of local government elections in our state’ he said.
Aromaradu also asserted that Kwara State PDP councillorship and chairmanship candidates in the 2024 local government elections are on the same page noting that ‘in demonstration of this unity of purpose, we are privileged to have in our midst Dr. Yunus Lawal, the esteemed Coordinator of Kwara State 2024 PDP Chairmanship Candidates, whose presence here today underscores the collective resolve of the former PDP candidates to speak truth to power and demand accountability from those who have usurped positions they did not legitimately win’.
He also alleged that the outcome of the 2024 local government elections has taken the state closer to autocracy and noted that the current local government officials have performed below expectations while submitting that they are treated as a mere appendage of the state government.
‘The past twelve months have provided ample evidence of the catastrophic impact of installing unelected officials in positions of authority. On Governor Mal. Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq’s watch, Kwara State has witnessed an unprecedented level of misgovernance that has left our people more impoverished, more insecure, and more disillusioned than ever before. The governor’s petty political calculations have consistently trumped the developmental needs of Kwarans, resulting in the deliberate denial of critical infrastructure projects across various communities simply because they are perceived as strongholds of political ‘enemies’.
The most glaring manifestation of this vindictive governance style is evident in the systematic exclusion or denial of certain local governments from major developmental projects. Communities that have historically supported democratic principles and good governance have been punished through the denial of federal and state interventions that should ordinarily be distributed based on needs rather than political affiliation. This divisive approach to governance has created artificial disparities between communities and has undermined the unity that has traditionally characterized our state.
The reduction of local government chairmen to mere puppets in the hands of the state government represents one of the most troubling aspects of the current administration. The case of the Chairman of Ilorin East Local Government, Mal. Agbelere, serves as a prime example of how the constitutional principle of local government autonomy has been completely eroded. These so-called chairmen have been stripped of their decision-making powers and reduced to ceremonial figures whose primary function appears to be the endorsement of decisions made at the state level. This emasculation of local government leadership has effectively killed grassroots democracy and rendered the third tier of government completely ineffective’ he said
The former councillorship candidates also lamented the worsening security situation in the state while alleging that electoral fraud is a ‘contributory factor’.
‘The security challenges confronting Kwara State have reached alarming proportions, particularly in Kwara North and Kwara South senatorial districts. Farmers can no longer access their farms due to the activities of bandits and kidnappers, students are afraid to travel to their educational institutions, and market women live in constant fear of attack. The fraudulently-declared local government officials have proven completely incapable of addressing these security challenges, lacking both the legitimacy and the competence required to mobilize community support for security initiatives. In areas where PDP candidates were legitimately elected but denied their mandates, traditional security arrangements that had worked for generations have been disrupted, creating vacuums that criminal elements have exploited.
The ineffectiveness of the councilors who were fraudulently declared across the 193 wards in the state has become a source of embarrassment to our democratic system. These individuals, lacking the moral authority that comes with legitimate electoral victory, have been unable to provide even the most basic services to their constituents. Ward development projects have gotten stagnated, community disputes remain unresolved, and the vital link between government and the grassroots has been completely severed. Many of these councilors are virtually unknown in their wards and have no connection whatsoever to the communities they purportedly represent’ Comrade Saka Muftau Aromaradu submitted.
The former councillorship candidates acknowledged and celebrated the ‘unwavering commitment’ of Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki ‘whose dedication to the welfare and development of Kwarans has remained steadfast despite the political machinations that have characterized the current administration in the state’.
The former Senate President, they noted, has through the ‘legitimately elected councillorship candidates and chairmanship candidates’, continued to champion grassroots development initiatives across all the sixteen local governments in the state.
‘His interventions in healthcare delivery, educational infrastructure, rural-urban development, and youth empowerment programmes stand as testimony to genuine leadership that puts people before politics’ Aromaradu submitted while noting that Kwarans are expected to make a ‘life decision’ in 2027.
‘The time has come for Kwarans to begin the process of electoral preparation for 2027. We must not allow the tragedy of 2024 to repeat itself. The upcoming general election presents an opportunity for our people to correct the aberration of the current administration and restore genuine democratic governance to our state. We call on all Kwarans, regardless of their political affiliations, to reject the politics of division, electoral fraud, and misgovernance that have characterized the APC administration’ he said.
The former councillorship candidates urged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to ‘learn from the failures of KWSIEC and ensure that future elections in Kwara State are conducted in accordance with international best practices’ cognizant that ‘our democratic system depends on the ability of electoral bodies to conduct free, fair, and credible elections’.
The former councillorship candidates also noted that through Dr Bukola Saraki’s visionary leadership and the support received from the Bukola Saraki Foundation, they have successfully carried out people-oriented programmes that include repair and maintenance of boreholes , payment of tuition fees for indigent students, construction and repair of culverts and other activities-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 08035023079, 08059100286, 09094171980 or get in touch via orientactualmag@gmail.com. Thank you
