PDP Kicks against Move to Push LG Poll in Kwara Till 2025

Hammed Shittu in Ilorin

The Kwara State Chapter of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) has condemned in strong terms over the purported move to alter some sections of the local government council laws that would allegedly push the council election till 2025 in the state.

The State Chairman of PDP, Mr. Tunde Muhammed, stated this in Ilorin yesterday during a press conference.

He said that “the plan alteration would also allow the state’s electoral commission(KWASIEC)  to increase  from the existing ninety (90) days to three hundred and sixty (360)  days.

“If this bill is passed into law the LG elections will automatically be shifted to the year 2025, two years to the expiration of the second term of this administration.”

Muhammed who was also a former speaker of the state’s House of Assembly, opined that “local government operations have been so far stalled, with our people at the grassroots denied of the hitherto dividends of democracy and seriously bearing the brunt.

“The rural parts of the state have been enveloped by insecurity, violent crimes, gangsterism, kidnappings, and wanton killing of our people, including missionaries, clergymen, and farmers, as a result of a lack of legally recognised structures at the grassroots which can use peculiarities of each local government to arrest this ugly trend.

“Despite several concerns raised and court orders to that effect, the Kwara State Government has been defiant and individualistic in its conduct,” he said.

 Muhammed noted further that, “Distinguished ladies and gentlemen, we are here to inform you that amidst all these constitutional fouls, the Abdulrahman-led government has transmitted a bill to the state House of Assembly to alter some vital sections of the existing local government laws of the state.

 He said: “Apart from the suspicion with which the hasty receipt and passage of the said bill by the Kwara House of Assembly, which ought to observe due diligence in its operation, the process that led to the bill scaling through first and second readings respectively, ran afoul of the house standing rules and orders.

“We have been reliably informed that apart from the Speaker who read the content of the bill to the hearings of legislators, none among the legislators was given a copy of the bill to peruse.

“Many of the lawmakers including those in APC are not comfortable that they are being treated like kindergarten pupils by the Speaker who is largely described as a stooge to the governor but has refused to speak so as not to run into trouble with the governor.”

 Muhammed, therefore, “admonished Mr. Speaker to halt further action on this evil bill which tends to continue the enslavement of our local government councils and ensure all lawmakers have copies of the bill to contribute their knowledge and make informed input that represents the will of their constituencies and constituents.”