Kwara govt, PDP trade words over LG polls

The Kwara State government on Wednesday said the opposition PDP is only crying wolf where there is none over his position on the local government amendment bill Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq submitted to the House of Assembly.

The PDP had described the bill, which seeks to amend the notice of the election from 90 days to 360 days among other sections, as an attempt to shift the polls to 2025.

The opposition party also passed a vote of no confidence on members of the Kwara State Independent Electoral Commission (KWSIEC).

Daily Trust reports that stakeholders at the public hearing on the bill held on Tuesday at the House of Assembly expressed divergent views with some pockets of protests outside the complex.

But in a statement on Wednesday, the Special Adviser on Media to the governor, Alhaji Bashir Adigun, said the party is “a sore loser crying wolf where there is none”.

According to him, the PDP in recent times has been trying to seek relevance with the LG issue after its defeat in the last general elections.

“Like a drowned man clinging to a straw, the PDP has suddenly associated itself with a judgement obtained by an NGO which is on appeal at the Supreme Court.

“We admonished the PDP to consult with its lawyers on the process of appeal at the Supreme Court and stop misleading the public,” Adigun added.

He said, “For the purpose of clarity, the governor as a law-abiding leader, has only complied with the resolution of the House which directed the dissolution of the councils following the discovery of monumental corruption by chairmen hurriedly appointed into office in a sham election conducted by the PDP.”

While restating that the stage is set for the local government elections, Adigun said “We have no doubt that like previous elections, the PDP will suffer massive defeat at the polls.”

But reacting to the government’s statement, the chairman of the PDP in the state, Babatunde Mohammed, told our correspondent that the government was being economical with the truth.

“These people are not being straightforward. Instead of the governor coming out and making a definite pronouncement on when the election would be held, they are beating around the bush. They are not serious,” he added.