Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq of Kwara state has expressed optimism of a landslide victory for the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in the Saturday local government elections.
Speaking with journalists after casting his vote at Idi-Igba polling unit 004 of Adewole ward in the Ilorin West LGA, Governor Abdulrazaq said that the turn out of voters was quite impressive, a view corroborated by his Senior Special Adviser and Counsellor, Alhaji Saadu Salau, at the Amule Government Day secondary school, a collation centre for 58 polling centres in the Ibagun Okelele ward in the Ilorin East local government area.
Salau said that, “We have very large turnout of voters here being the largest ward in the Ilorin East local government. We have appereciable security presence which has guaranteed relevant peace and security. With the large turn out of our people, it’s going to be usual landslide for the APC, not only in Ibagun but in the Ilorin East, Kwara Central and the whole state.”
The governor’s aide, who said that ttough the election materials came a bit late (12 noon) and the voting started a bit late too, added that, “it’s been quite peaceful”.
Meanwhile, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chairmanship candidate in the Saturday local government election in Offa local government, Salahudeen Lukman, has called on the state Independent Electoral Commission (KWASIEC) to reschedule the election in the area to address issue of alleged lapses.
The PDP chairmanship candidate said that voting materials did not arrive at most of the polling units across the 173 polling units in Offa LGA at 8:00 am
“The few areas where materials were delivered, critical components such as ballot papers were incomplete, and result sheets were entirely unavailable,” he said.
However, reacting to allegations of complaints of lower numbers of election materials against registered voters, the governor’s aide, Salau said that no human arrangement is perfect.
“For some time, this is the first time we are having a new KWASIEC officials. No human arrangements is perfect. There may be one or two lapses. But what I’ve seen in them is prompt response. They have a situation room and I’ve seen people call them on electoral materials and they acted promptly to address such.”
Also speaking on the pocket of hiccups in some polling booths, senator representing Kwara Central senatorial district in the National Assembly, Saliu Mustapha, said that, “In every election, there is bound to be complaint. But so far so good, I’m really impressed with what has happened.”
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