The Elites Network for Sustainable Development (ENetSUD) has told the European Union Election Observers Mission for the 2023 general elections that the state government has crippled the Local Government system in the state by removal of democratically-elected Local Government council and replacing them with illegal Transition Implementation Committee (TIC) across the 16 LGAs.
ENetSUD said, despite the successful court cases at High and Appeal Courts, the government is buying time on frivolous appeal at the supreme court.
The ENetSUD said this when it received the two Observers, Veronika HOMOLOVA and Nuno SIMOES, on Monday 6th February, 2023, at its office in Ilorin.
In a statement released by the press secretary, Saheed Tijani, The ENetSUD said the observers were briefed about domestication of the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act in Kwara State and how the 9th Kwara Assembly led by Rt. Hon. Saliu Yakubu Danladi has killed the bill and jeopardize the gains made on public access to information in Kwara State.
The statement revealed that the observers were told about the status of Social Audit in Kwara State, which had been technically suspended by the government that initiated it, adding that the process and impacts of social audit are all associated with systematic corruption, which discouraged the government from continuing with the program.
However, the EU observers were also informed about the efforts of the ENetSUD to curb vote buying through a partnership with INEC, which was proved abortive by the politically-exposed persons.
Meanwhile, the novelty of ENetSUD partnership CEMP program with Gobir Foundation was discussed with the Observers with the view of exploring future collaboration on the translation of the developmental data into service delivery for Kwara communities.