It was celebration galore last Sunday in Ilorin, the Kwara State capital, after the State Independent Electoral Commission ( KWASIEC) announced the results of the September 21, 2024:local government elections in the state.
Thunderous ovations and jubilations rented the air across the nooks and crannies of the state as the KWASIEC’s chairman, Mohammed Baba-Okanla announced early Sunday that the candidates of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) won all the available 16 and 193 chairmanship and councillorship seats in the state.
From Ilorin township stadium along the popular Ibrahim Taiwo road, to various party secretariats in Ilorin, the state capital, there were wild jubilations as people could not hide their joy of having democracy restored at the council level in the state.
They praised the state governor, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq to the high heaven for clearing the legal constraints that had obstructed the conduct of local government elections in the state since his assumption of office five years ago.
LEADERSHIP recalls that the last local government elections in the state was held in 2017.
The elated Kwara State governor and chairman, Nigeria’s Governors Forum (NGF) AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, also
joined his people in the celebration of return of democratic governance to the third tier of government in the state.
In a statement signed by his chief press secretary,Rafiu Ajakaye, AbdulRazaq who was at that time in Edo State with other APC governors to monitor the gubernatorial election in that state, congratulated all the newly elected 16 local government chairpersons and 193 councillors on their deserving victories at the Saturday’s polls .
The governor also congratulated all the leaders and members of the APC on the successful outing at the polls, which he links to the strides of the government, the support of every party member and stakeholders, and sustained relationships that the party has built with the people of the state.
AbdulRazaq commended the Kwara KWASIEC and the security agencies for the peaceful and hugely successful exercise.
The governor said he is confident that insights and experiences from the exercise will help to improve future elections in the state and across the country, especially that leadership of other states’ electoral commissions observed the exercise across the state.
He commended Kwarans for their large turnouts for the election, their support for the APC, and their decent conducts while it lasted.
He equally thanked all the political parties for their impressive participation and sportsmanship.
For his part, the state APC chairman, Prince Sunday Fagbemi, hailed the outcome of the polls, describing it as a triumph of democracy and acknowledging the trust placed in the APC by the people of the sate.
He attributed the victory recorded by the APC in the election to the impressive development projects executed by the administration of Governor AbdulRazaq and his commitment to sustaining development across the state.
Fagbemi commended the governor for giving the KWASIEC support needed to conduct free, fair, and credible elections.
He encouraged the newly elected council chairmen to ensure even development across all communities, emphasizing the importance of fulfilling their campaign promises to sustain the support of the people.
Fagbemi appreciated all agencies of government involved in the poll as well as all the progressive opposition parties that participated in the election for ensuring a peaceful election.
The speaker of the State House of Assembly, Engr. Yakubu Danladi-Salihu, rejoiced with the new council chairmen and the councilors.
Danladi-Salihu equally congratulated the leadership, stakeholders, and members of the APC, describing the victory as a testament to the general acceptance of the ruling party under the leadership of Governor AbdulRazaq by the people of the state.
The speaker in a statement signed by his chief press secretary, AbdulKadir Yusuf, commended KWASIEC, security agencies, journalists , and the electorate for their different roles in ensuring that democracy continues to thrive in the state.
While charging the newly elected public officers across local government areas and wards to strive to justify the confidence reposed in them by the electorate, the speaker urged them to hit the ground running by delivering more dividends of democracy to the grassroots and complementing the good work of Governor AbdulRazaq.
In his own message, the Ilorin – born director general of National Institute for Legislative and Democratic Studies, (NILDS) , Abuja, Prof. Sulaiman Abubakar, urged the new council chairmen to make service to the people their watchwords.
Sulaiman who gave the charge in a statement signed by his media aide, Mohammad AbdulKadir, said the beauty of governance is on the way administrative ideology of inclusivity in participatory democracy by the electorate whose votes brought the council chairmen to leadership positions.
The NILDS chief reminded the the council chairmen that the onus lies on them to run people centric administration and to take socio- economic developments to the doorsteps of the citizenry.
While congratulating Governor AbdulRazaq for achieving the enviable feet of a successful conduct of the council election, he commended the leadership of APC as well as KWASIEC for a job well done.
Sulaiman said the recently sealed partnership between NILDS and Kwara APC opens windows of opportunity for the training of the new chairmen and councillors in the institute as had been done for many states across the country.
A leading pro – democracy group, the Alliance For Sustainable Kwara (ASK) has congratulated all the newly elected local government chairmen and councillors in the state.
The group in a statement signed by its chairman, Alh Razaq Lawal also congratulated the ruling All Progressives Congress( APC), whose candidates swept all the available chairmanship and councillorship seats in the state.
It equally rejoiced with the state governor, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq whose superlative performance it noted, paved the way for the victory recorded in the local government polls by the APC candidates.
Describing the election as peaceful, the group commended security agencies in the state for ensuring law and order before, during and after the election.
It also hailed the peaceful conduct of the voters and the people of the state generally.
The influential group, however, urged the elected chairmen and councillors to justify the confidence reposed in them by the vast majority of the people of the state who cast their votes for them.
It specifically charged them to emulate the exemplary leadership style of Governor AbdulRazaq and implement people – centred projects and programmes as being done by the governor.
Another prominent pro-democracy group – Kwara Must Change, commended the people of the state for the peaceful conduct displayed during the just concluded local government elections.
The group said that the conduct of all concerned stakeholders showed that the people of the state are committed to democracy and want to see positive change, which can only be guaranteed in a peaceful environment.
In a statement by its convener, Abdulrazaq Hamzat, the group said that the peaceful conduct of the local government election was a step in the right direction and it reaffirmed the people’s commitment to democratic stability, growth and development.
Pointing out some lapses in the conduct of the elections, the group, however, said:” The election also recorded some positives, amongst which include least monetization. The 2024 LG election based on our observation, is the least monetized election in recent times, which is an indication that money bag politics is gradually diminishing in Kwara State”
It congratulated the winners of the elections and urged them to deliver on their campaign promises.
