The Kwara State
government has challenged opposition parties in the state to produce
evidence that it induced traditional rulers and public office holders
to help it rig last Saturday’s election.
The state governor,
Bukola Saraki, through his spokesperson, Mas’ud Adebimpe, told NEXT
that it is obvious that the governor has contributed to the peaceful
reign of traditional institution in the state since he assumed office
and will not bring himself down to using the same body to institute
rigging.
“I don’t think
that it is polite for anybody to have alleged that the governor
intimidated the traditional rulers. Don’t forget the traditional rulers
are the custodian of our culture and the people, and it is their sole
responsibility to ensure peace and harmony in their domain. As the
chief security officer of the state who has in the last eight years
ensured and worked tirelessly to ensure that there is peace in the
state, it sounds so foolish of somebody to now say that the same people
that he has solicited their support, he will now be going back to them
to cause trouble; over what for goodness’ sake?” Mr Adebimpe queried.
He went on to state that the level of recognition and respect that the
governor has accorded to the traditional institution is unmatched,
calling on anyone with any evidence to the contrary to produce it.
Since the conduct
of the national assembly election, most of the opposition parties in
the state have alleged rigging in the rural areas by the ruling
People’s Democratic Party (PDP).
One of the
political parties, the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), claimed that
the state governor had mandated the village heads and kings to ensure
the return of the PDP in their areas of jurisdiction or risk losing
their benefits and right to their thrones.
According to the
caretaker committee chairperson of the ACN in the state, Kayode
Olawepo, the party discovered, among many other instances, that, “In
Oke Ose and Oke Oyi, in Ilorin East, the results announced exceeded the
number of accredited voters. In this same area, security agents were
seen thumb-printing on behalf of the elderly. In Maya/Ile Apa, also in
Ilorin East, the results declared were so outrageous that the electoral
officer and the collating officer must be invited to explain the
result.” It also alleged that at Ibagun Ward of the zone, collation was
disrupted when PDP thugs fired shots into the air, forcing the
Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to move the collation
to their office at Akerebiata.
“Across Ilorin, in the metropolis and in the villages, there were
rampant cases of open inducement of voters on the queue while INEC and
security agencies looked on.” Claiming to have “certain proof”, the
party chairperson alleged that, “In Ifelodun Local Government,
specifically in Share, which is the hometown of the PDP gubernatorial
candidate, the traditional ruler came out openly on the eve of the
national assembly election to threaten the people to vote en bloc for
the PDP or risk losing their lives. In Oro Ago, also in Ifelodun, the
Oba also came out placing a curse on any youth who cast their ballot
for ACN.”
