The People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in Kwara State are at odds over the results of the local government elections held on Saturday. The elections saw APC claim victory in all 16 local government areas (LGAs) and 193 wards across the state, a result that the PDP strongly contests.
The Chairman of the Kwara State Independent Electoral Commission (KWASIEC), Alhaji Mohammed Baba-Okanla, announced on Sunday that APC candidates emerged victorious in both the chairmanship and councillorship positions in all the local governments.
According to the electoral commission, the elections were conducted smoothly, and the APC enjoyed overwhelming support from voters across the state.
However, the PDP swiftly rejected the results, accusing KWASIEC of bias and manipulation. On Sunday, PDP supporters gathered at the KWASIEC office in the Fate area of Ilorin to stage a peaceful protest.
The demonstrators, carrying placards with messages such as “Kwara people say no to continuation of bad governance led by APC” and “KWASIEC robbed PDP in Kwara LG elections,” expressed their dissatisfaction with how the elections were handled.
Leading the protest was Hajia Saratu Adebayo, a former commissioner, who openly criticized the electoral body. In her statement to the media, she claimed that KWASIEC, in collaboration with the state government, manipulated the results in favor of the ruling party.
Adebayo said, “The PDP won the chairmanship election in the 16 local government areas of the state, but the seats were falsely awarded to APC by KWASIEC.
“KWASIEC, in collaboration with the state government and the APC, changed and stole the votes of the people of Kwara State.
“The PDP is not happy with the election process, but we are peace-loving people. KWASIEC should do the needful.”
The PDP’s grievances focus on allegations that the votes cast in favor of their candidates were tampered with to secure victory for the APC. They demanded that KWASIEC review the election process and ensure fairness.
In contrast, the APC praised the conduct of the election and the support shown by the people of Kwara.
In a statement released Saturday evening, the APC said, “Official results from polling units across the 16 local government areas show an impressive performance by the party in the chairmanship and councillorship elections.
“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 despite the intimidation by opposition elements.
“We commend the electoral body, KWASIEC, for its good performance, the impartiality of its officials, and its prompt and professional responses to the late arrival of materials and procedural hitches in a few areas. Additionally, we commend the people of Kwara State for their peaceful conduct throughout.
“We condemn the futile attempts by the opposition PDP to disrupt elections in some areas, especially in Offa, where miscreants made unsuccessful efforts to undermine the process. A popular party has no reason to disrupt the election process, but that was what the PDP tried to do after its initial plan to stop the election through the courts failed miserably. We thank the electorate for resisting their antics and voting for our party.”
