A former President of the Senate, Bukola Saraki has reacted to last Saturday’s local government chairmanship and councillorship elections held across the 16 council areas of Kwara state.
In the elections, the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state cleared the 16 local government Areas as declared by the Kwara State Independent Electoral Commission (KWSIEC).
KWSIEC Chairman Baba Okanla, declaring the results, said the APC won all 16 local government chairmanship seats and cleared all 193 councillorship positions.
In his reaction to the declaration by the state electoral body, Saraki, a member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), opined that it is a shame that the declared chairmen and councilors would be in office without legitimacy and the mandate of the people.
According to him, a message has been sent to the government by the people that it has not made any significant or positive impact on their lives after 64 months in power.
The former Kwara governor argued that the people mobilised themselves to the polling units for the local government polls but met the absence of electoral officials and shoddy preparations by the electoral body.
Saraki commended the people for standing firm against “deliberately concocted frustrations.”
He wrote, “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.”