Saraki questions legitimacy of Kwara LG poll, lauds Kwarans for showing political brilliance

Former President of the Senate Bukola Saraki has questioned the legitimacy of the recently elected local government officials in Kwara State as the ruling All Progressives Congress cleared all available positions in the poll.

According to Saraki, the chairmen and councillors from the All Progressives Congress (APC) lack the people’s mandate.

Saraki’s concerns stem from the questionable conduct of the elections, which saw APC candidates winning with 338,290 votes.

The chairman of the Kwara State Independent Electoral Commission (KWSIEC), Baba Okanla, announced the results, but Saraki argues that the electoral process was marred by issues such as the absence of electoral officials and poor preparations.

In a statement on his social media handle, Saraki praised the people for standing firm against what he described as deliberately concocted frustrations.

“Last Saturday, in a manner that went beyond partisan consideration and gave expression to the protection of community interests, people from Kwara mobilised themselves to the polling units and met the absence of electoral officials and shoddy preparations by the electoral body.

“Whatever results the electoral body eventually declared, our people have sent a clear signal to a government that has not made any significant, positive impact on their lives after 64 months in office. It is a shame that the 16 local government areas now have chairmen and councillors who would be in office without legitimacy and people’s mandate,” he said.

“Kwarans have demonstrated that democracy is about the people and any government that refused to serve the purpose for which it was elected will be voted out.

“The people of Kwara State deserve to be praised for demonstrating how politically savvy, sophisticated, and discerning they are. A government that continuously takes the people for granted will get its deserved result at the polls.

“I join numerous Kwarans to thank and commend the various political parties, community development associations, youth groups, religious bodies, and others who form the core of the democratic action that we witnessed on Saturday. May God bless you all.

“Let me also acknowledge that our party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) fielded candidates for chairmanship and councilorship seats who are very popular in their respective communities and acceptable to the people. This made it easier for the people to rally around them. I congratulate these candidates for making themselves available for people to use in expressing their preference.

“The good people of Kwara State spoke loud and clear last Saturday. Those who can listen heard them too. Once again, the people deserve our commendation and a big pat on the back. They demonstrated character, courage, clarity of vision, and conviction.

“It is yet a new dawn in Kwara State.”