UMAR BAYO ABDULWAHAB reports that the tempo of political activities in Kwara state has intensified as the state Independent Electoral Commission conducts council polls tomorrow. Barring any last meeting ruling by a court of law, 11 political parties in Kwara state will this Saturday contest for 16 chairmanship positions and 193 councillorship seats.
Litigation
One of the political parties in the state, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), had dragged the commission to court praying that it restrains the electoral body from conducting the election alleging exclusion of its candidates in some local governments.
The PDP through its lead counsel, Salman Jawondo, in approaching the court to stop the exercise, also joined the state Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Kamaldeen Ajibade (SAN) in the suit.
The party had hinged its claims on the alleged unconstitutionality inherent in KWSIEC’s guidelines for candidates participating in the council poll.
The PDP argued that the 2006 local government electoral law passed by the Kwara state House of Assembly is inconsistent with the National Assembly Act and the 1999 Constitution.
The party also averred in its application that some requirements for candidates in the Kwara state local government electoral law and the guidelines for the conduct of the council poll are preconditions not within the purviews of the 1999 Constitution as amended and the 2010 Electoral Act as amended.
It listed such requirements as the screening and disqualification of candidates by the KWSIEC. But the party failed in its bid to stop the conduct of the poll at the following which it appealed the matter.
Failed bid
But in his judgment, Justice Sulaiman Akanbi of an Ilorin High Court dismissed the PDP’s plea to stop the conduct of the council poll. Akanbi said that there was nothing unconstitutional by the legislation passed by the Kwara state House of Assembly. Therefore, he ordered the state electoral umpire to go ahead with the November 18th, 2017 local government elections.
“What the Kwara state House of Assembly did constitutionally and additionally is to aid the federal law; the state law is not inconsistent with the electoral law. Kwara state House of Assembly did not run afoul of the constitution rather it complemented it.
“It is crystal clear that the action of the Kwara state House of Assembly is constitutionally guaranteed as regards the council elections. Section 106 of the Nigerian constitution is also emphatic on this. I, therefore, resolved the two issues raised by the claimant in favour of the defendants”, the judge ruled.
Victory for KWSIEC
Unperturbed by the PDP’s move to stop the conduct of the election, the commission had continued to carry out its activities and all electoral process that would ensure peaceful and credible conduct of the election come Saturday.
The commission chairman said the electoral body had not violated any provision of the electoral acts and therefore would not be distracted despite ‘‘name calling and black mail’’ from those who want ‘‘to take control’’ of the process to suit their own selfish purposes.
Apart of series of meetings with political parties ,stakeholders and enlightenment programmes lined up to ensure transparency in the process, KWSIEC has also introduced committed political parties to signing peace accord to extract commitment from them to guarantee the peaceful conduct of the election.
Ilorin Peace Accord
Political parties participating in this Saturday’s council election in the state on Tuesday signed an undertaking of commitment to peaceful election.
The state Independent Electoral Commission (KWSIEC) in conjunction with security agencies in the state, had resolved that the parties will signed the undertakings as part of arrangements to ensure a violent free election.
Speaking before the agreement was signed by representatives of the parties participating in the election, KWSIEC’s chairman, Dr Uthman Ajidagba, said peace is essential to a free and fair election.
He said the decision to make the parties sign the undertaking was taken after it was observed that some politicians were making utterances that are inciting and could cause the election to be greeted with violence.
Ajidagba, who said the electoral body was prepared to conduct a free, fair and credible election, urged participating political parties to cooperate with the body by being peaceful.
Also speaking, the state Police Commissioner, who doubles as the chairman of the Election Security Inter-agencies Consultative Forum, Lawan Ado, said the forum was committed to the maintenance of peace and order before, during and after the election.
Ado advised that any party or candidate who has any security related issue on the election should bring it up so that it could be addressed to ensure a peaceful poll.
The police boss, who said that security agents were ready to provide a level-playing field for all the parties, asked them to ensure they produce accredited representatives at polling, ward and local government collation centres, to aid proper monitoring of the election.
Warning against boycott
A non- political group, known as kwara Mass Movement, had warned eligible voters in the state not to make the mistake of boycotting the forthcoming local government election.
The movement said though it was not convince that the electoral body would conduct a free and credible election based on the composition of its members, it, however, advised eligible voters to participate in all the electoral process in order ‘‘to shame those who might want to manipulate the results’’.
Spoke person of the group, Barrister Sulyman Jawondo, handed down the warning recently at the inauguration of the movement at the press centre of the kwara State council of Nigeria Union of Journalists, (NUJ) Ilorin.
The legal practitioners said, though the movement has reservation that KWSIEC will conduct a free, fair and credible poll, he said the movement ‘‘will encourage the eligible voters in the state to participate in every stage of the electoral process with a view to having first hand information’’ on the activities of KWASIEC.
Convener of the group, Mr. Oyin Kayode Zubair, said the movement was formed to provide platform for kwarans to build a society that can guarantee better living for kwarans.
