Kebbi LG poll crisis: Chairmen, councilors boycott certificate presentation

The elected council chairmen and councilors on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC), on Monday, boycotted ceremony organised by the Kebbi State Independent Electoral Commission (KESIEC) to present certificate of returns to winners of the October, 26 council election in the state.

The elected chairmen and councilors from Dandi, Fakai, Gwandu, Jega, Sakaba, Aliero, Argungu, Bagudo and Suru local governments boycotted the certificate presentation ceremony as directed by the party.

Speaking on the development, Alhaji Kabiru Muhammed, KESIEC Commissioner 2, who represented the commission’s chairman, warned that penalty would be meted on all elected chairmen and councilors who refused to collect their certificates during the ceremony.

He said the electoral commission was not under any party and, as such, no party could dictate what it should do to it.

“The commission is just performing one of its mandatory functions as prescribed by law to issue certificate of returns to elected chairmen and councilors after the local government election,” he said.

It would be recalled that the APC had said it would not accept the results released in respect of those who won the chairmanship positions on its platform except KESIEC released names of its elected vice chairmen and also address the replacements made on some candidates that were officially presented to the commission by the party.

Following this, the party had issued a statement through the state radio, directing its elected local government chairmen and councilors to boycott the ceremony where KESIEC would present certificate of returns to them.