by Nurat Uthman
As Kebbi State residents prepare for the upcoming Local Government elections, the main opposition party in the state, the Peoples Democratic Party, has withdrawn its participation from the election.
The state party chairman, Bello Suru, announced this in a press statement made available to journalists on Thursday.
He alleged that the Chairman and all the commissioners of the Kebbi State Independent Electoral Commission are card-carrying members of the ruling All Progressives Congress in the state, which he claimed has given the APC candidates an undue advantage.
“You will recall that during the last PDP stakeholders’ meeting, we agreed to participate in the forthcoming Local Government council elections given the circumstances of the time. However, as things have continued to unfold, and after wider consultation with various segments of the party membership and prominent elders, it has become necessary to inform you that the party is no longer participating in the Local Government Council elections scheduled for 31 August 2024 due to the following reasons:
“The Chairman of the State Independent Electoral Commission and all the commissioners are card-carrying members of the APC in Kebbi State. Therefore, organising free, fair, and credible elections will be a mirage.
“We have expressed our concerns regarding their appointments in several communications to the Kebbi State Government and relevant agencies involved in election management in the state,” Suru said.
He stated that the PDP therefore “does not have any confidence in the leadership of the State Independent Electoral Commission to conduct the elections freely.”
The party also alleged that the electoral body requires participants to make payments, which it argued is contrary to election participation norms in Nigeria.
He added, “The Independent National Electoral Commission has been conducting elections for various offices since its establishment without charging any fees from candidates or political parties.
“The Kebbi State Independent Electoral Commission has introduced administrative fees for chairmanship, vice-chairmanship, and councillorship positions as prescribed in the election guidelines,” which he said, “not only disenfranchises some candidates but also grossly violates the freedom of choice for candidates, political parties, and the electorate.”
The PDP state chairman appealed to all party members across the 21 LGAs of the state to “remain calm and focused as we continue to reflect on the present and future of our great party at local, state, and national levels.”
He noted that the party hopes INEC will “soon take over the conduct and management of Local Government council elections to ensure free, fair, credible, and acceptable elections.”
In response to the allegations, the APC Publicity Secretary in the state, Isa Asalafi, said the allegations against the chairman and commissioners of the state electoral commission were lies and could not be substantiated.
He claimed that the PDP withdrew from the election out of fear of possible defeat, stating, “They only announced their withdrawal when they realised that the majority of their members had defected to the APC.
“I am sure you are aware that four of their lawmakers in the state House of Assembly recently announced their defection.”
Also speaking, the spokesman for KISEC, Hassan Yauri, denied that any member of the commission was affiliated with any political party.
“The chairman of the commission has issued a statement denying the PDP’s allegations. It is unfortunate that rather than focusing their energy on the polls, the PDP has chosen to make claims about events that never occurred,” he said.
