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KWASIEC Chairman Mohammed Baba –Okanla, addressing newsmen
Only five out of the 17 political parties registered by the Kwara State Independent Electoral Commission (KWASIEC), were cleared to participate in the Saturday Local Government Elections.
Chairman of the Commission, Alhaji Mohammed Baba-Okanla, disclosed this at a media chat organized by the Kwara State Council of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) in Ilorin, the state capital.
According to the KWASIEC Chairman, the Accord Party, All Progressives Congress (APC), Allied Peoples Movement (APM), Peoples Democratic Party, (PDP) and Social Democratic Party (SDP) are the parties cleared for the elections.
Baba-Okanla, who explained that candidates running on the platform of the other 12 parties withdrew based on reasons best known to them, stated however, that the state electoral body was working tirelessly with Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to ensure elections in the 2,887 polling units across 193 wards in 16 Local Government Areas of the state were free, fair, and credible.
He disclosed that the over 21,000 people registered to serve as adhoc staff are yet to be screened.
In an address, Chairman of the Kwara State Council of the NUJ, Mr AbdulLateef Ahmed, represented by the Vice Chairman, Hajiya Binta Abubakar-Mora, urged the electoral body to conduct free, fair, and credible elections.
The Kwara NUJ Chairman expressed hope that the Local Government Elections would serve as an integrity test for KWASIEC.
Kwara NUJ Vice Chairman, Binta Abubakar
The exercise is scheduled for Saturday September 21, 2024 and polling units are expected to open at 8 o’clock in the morning.
Voting is expected to be concluded by 3 PM, immediately after which sorting, counting and collation of results would begin.
By Sola Rotimi
