30th June, 2010
Opposition parties in Kwara State will not participate in the council polls slated for October, unless three anomalies noted in the preparations for the polls are corrected by the concern authorities.
Chairman of the Kwara State Stakeholders Forum (KSSF)- an umbrella body for the opposition parties in the state, Dr. Amuda Aluko dropped this hint in Ilorin yesterday while briefing newsmen on the polls.
Aluko faulted preparations for the elections by the state electoral body, KWASIEC and called for the reconstitution of its membership as a condition for the opposition to participate in the elections.
He alleged that the chairman of the electoral body, Hon. Bashiru Oni and three other members, were card-carrying members of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state.
The KSSF leader also called for the compilation of a new voters’ register, describing the existing one as unacceptable.
In addition, Aluko demanded that the law guiding the conduct of the council polls be made available to the public for scrutiny.
“For a credible election to hold in the state, we demand the reconstitution of the Kwara State Independent Electoral Commission, which will be truly independent; made up of men and women of honour, integrity and non-partisan, as is the case with the nation’s INEC.
“We also demand that the voters’ register be sanitized before it can be accepted for the election.
“In addition, the law to guide the election should be made available to the public since it is a public document. These are the irreducible minimum demands we want to make if we are to participate in the elections,†Aluko declared.
—Stephen Oni/ Ilorin