LG polls: Group calls for free, fair election

The Kwara State chapter of the Centre for Public Accountability has called on the Kwara State Independent Electoral Commission (KWASIEC) to conduct the upcoming local government election in the state in a free and fair manner.

The local government election is billed for Saturday, September 21, 2024, across the 16 local government areas of the state.

According to a statement released by Suleiman Abdul-Qadir Shara, its Directorate on Election Matters, the body restates that participation in the polls is a civic right and urged all the residents to come out en masse to vote in the election.

“All the eligible voters should endeavour to come out en masse with their Permanent Voters Card (PVC) to cast and protect their votes for candidates of their choice.”

“We urge KWASIEC to conduct a free and fair election that will reflect the will of Kwarans.
They should be transparent and adhere strictly to the rules and regulations guiding the election.

While assuring voters of their safety as security agencies are all out to protect them and make the election a hitch-free exercise, the body also enjoins the public to desist from any form of violence and electoral malpractices and cooperate with security operatives.

“We would also like to appeal to all the political parties to imbibe the spirit of sportsmanship, as the election is not a do-or-die affair,” it added.

The body also called on the police and other security agencies to be on alert and maintain absolute neutrality and professionalism while discharging their duties before, during, and after the election. 

“We would like to call on the security operatives to respect the rights of the citizens and not to conspire with unscrupulous elements in sabotaging the proper conduct of the election,” said the body, which alleged that politicians are using thugs and some bad elements among the security agencies to intimidate and harass their opponents.

The body restated its confidence in the Alhaji Muhammed Baba-Okanla-led electoral umpire to deliver a credible election.

The centre for public accountability is a
a civil society organisation established by patriotic Nigerians with the aim of addressing issues around accountability and transparency across all public sectors in Nigeria through the lens of accounting, audit, and transparency practices relating to public policy in Nigeria.