The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chairmanship candidates in Kwara State, Musbauhdeen Esinrogunjo and Ismail Muhammed, have urged their supporters to remain calm following the recently concluded local government elections.
Both candidates, who ran for the Ilorin West and Ilorin East council seats, expressed their dissatisfaction with the election process, alleging widespread irregularities and vowing to challenge the results in court.
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Speaking to journalists at the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) secretariat in Ilorin, Esinrogunjo described the election as a “charade” and accused the state government, in collaboration with the State Independent Electoral Commission (SIEC), of rigging the outcome.
He claimed the election was marked by voter intimidation, harassment, manipulation, and vote-buying, and stated that the people’s mandate had been stolen.
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Esinrogunjo called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to intervene and restore faith in the democratic process, while also advocating for the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to take charge of conducting local government elections nationwide.
He further alleged that results were announced from undisclosed locations and that the state’s ruling party hastily swore in its candidates despite their poor performance at the polls.
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He argued that election results should have been declared at designated collation centers in the wards and council secretariats.
Despite the alleged irregularities, Esinrogunjo assured supporters that they would pursue all legal avenues to reclaim their mandate, expressing confidence that the judiciary would deliver justice.
He emphasized that they had video evidence supporting their claims and intended to present it in court to contest the election outcome.
