Commission issues Certificates of Return to elected chairmen amidst controversy

The Kebbi State Independent Electoral Commission (KESIEC) has issued certificates of return to elected local government chairmen and councilors in the state, amidst protest from the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC). 

The KSIEC had declared the APC winner of all the 21 championships and majority of the councillors seats in the election conduct on October 26.

In spite of the controversy the election has generated, the commission chairman, Alhaji Muhammad Mera, said they would not allow politicians to distract them.

Also, he said the commission was bound by law to issue the certificates to the 21 elected local councils chairmen and 225 councillors.

“We have our law, and guided by that law, any elected official who fails to come and collect his certificate of return will be penalised according to the stipulation of the law,” he said.

Mera, who was represented by a KSIEC commissioner, Alhaji Kabiru Dabai, said the commission would not be deterred by any form of threat in conducting its statutory and independent duties.

“We are not under any political party and should not be dragged into any party crisis, we are independent and we must remain so,” he said.

The KSIEC chairman urged the elected officials to consider their election as a call to service for the benefit of the people.

“Don’t forget the people you represent and the responsibilities upon you; make sure you deliver on your mandate.”

Only 12 elected local government chairmen and their councillors were presented with the certificates during the event held on Monday in Birnin Kebbi.

But the APC, through its Publicity Secretary, Sani Dododo, had on Saturday rejected the result declared by KSIEC, saying names of the elected chairmen released by the commission did not include their deputies.

“APC will take it as unconstitutional for KSIEC to declare the names of chairmen of local government without their vice chairmen, and to substitute names of councillors without the consent of our party and declare them winners.

“They can’t replace the names we forwarded to them. It is only the party that has the constitutional, supreme power to forward and file the names of candidates for any election,” Dododo said.

Similarly, PDP has also rejected the results, saying it did not reflect the true outcome of the election.

The state PDP chairman, Mallam Haruna Saidu, had on Sunday in Birnin Kebbi, declared that the party has not only condemned the elections but totally rejected the results.

”The local government election results announced by KSIEC are incorrect and unacceptable to the party and people of Kebbi,” he said.

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