Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Kwara state has asked the state Independent Electoral Commission (KWASIEC) to issue guidelines for the conduct of the forthcoming local government elections.
It is recalled that the KWASIEC had already issued a timetable for the elections scheduled for September 21, 2024.
Speaking with journalists in Ilorin, the state chairman of the main opposition party, PDP, Hon. Babatunde Mohammed, called on the state electoral body to show its level of preparedness for the election to political parties.
“By the conduct and body language of KWASIEC, the PDP in Kwara is not yet convinced that the commission is truly prepared for the local government elections upon which it has released timetables.
“Distinguished gentlemen of the press and fellow Kwarans, as of today, aside from the timetable, the Commission has yet to release any guidelines for these elections.
“Our party has written to the Commission to this effect since the 28th of June, 2024, to request electoral guidelines, which are supposed to be the navigation for the local government election processes.
“Apart from this letter, which was formally written, several oral requests have also been made by our party to request these guidelines. But up till this moment, no political party in Kwara state, including the PDP, has received any election guidelines from KWASIEC.”
However, the PDP state chairman, said that the opposition political party was not planning to boycott the local government elections, urging the commission to ensure a level playing ground for about 16 registered political parties that would be participating in the polls.
“PDP is prepared for the LG polls. We’re not going to boycott the election. We only urge the KWASIEC to conduct free, fair and credible elections and to ensure a level playing ground for all the political parties.”
Also speaking on the development, the KWASIEC chairman, Alhaji Baba Okanla, said that the commission was already planning to give political parties the guidelines.
“We are planning to give the PDP and other parties the guidelines when they apply for the nomination forms so as for them to be guided to follow electoral rules and regulations.
“All the parties called for an extension of time to conduct their primaries which prompted us to extend the issuance of the guidelines.”
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