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The head of the Allied Peoples Movement (APM) in Kwara State, Prince Oyedeji Oyekunle, has said he does not trust the state’s Independent Electoral Commission (KWSIEC) to run fair local council elections. These elections are set to happen on September 21, 2024.
On Thursday, in Ilorin, Oyedeji Oyekunle said: “As the APM State Chairman and the head of the Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC) in Kwara, I’ve carefully read reports from various people about how these primaries are being handled.”
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He continued, “It is my duty to share our (IPAC) serious worries about how well the Assistant Electoral Officers (AEOs) and Electoral Officers (EOs) of KWSIEC are doing their jobs.”
“The reports we’ve gotten show many problems and mistakes that make us doubt if these officials can run honest and fair local elections.”
“Given these bad reports, it is clear that things at KWSIEC are not good. Because of this, we must say we don’t trust KWSIEC to handle the upcoming local elections on September 21, 2024.”
“We urge the State Chairman of KWSIEC, Mr. Muhammed Baba Okanla, to check if his AEOs and EOs are competent and prepared. They need to get the best and most capable people for this important job.”
“While we support KWSIEC and want them to manage peaceful, fair, and honest elections, they must take strong actions to win back public trust. Everyone is watching KWSIEC, so they need to do their job well and make sure everything is fair for all candidates.”
The APM leader called on KWSIEC “to do their work with honesty and clarity to protect the democratic values we all care about.”
Reacting to these claims, Muhammed Baba Okanla, the leader of the independent electoral commission, told DAILY POST in his office on Fate Road that “the state Independent Electoral Commission will look into the complaints about the staff and take necessary actions.”
He also mentioned that Thursday was the last day for political parties to hold their primary elections for the local council polls.
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