Offa Rerun: Results ‘Diabolical Receipt For Anarchy’, Warns Osun APC

The outcome of last Saturday’s rerun election in Offa Local Government of Kwara State by the State Independent Electoral Commission (KWSIEC) has been described as ‘daylight robbery’ by the Osun State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC). In a statement by a Deputy Director, Mr. Dauda Nurudeen, the Kwara State Independent Electoral Commission declared Peoples’ Democratic Party, PDP’s Segun Olanipekun winner after he purportedly polled 35,937 against 20, 161 for the APC candidate, Mr. Saheed Popoola. The Kwara chapter of APC had since rejected the result insisting that from the signed result sheet obtained at the collation centre; its candidate floored the PDP in 11 out of the 12 wards where elections were held. Similarly, the Osun APC’s Directorate of Communication and Strategy in a statement urged Offa residents to reject the results in which the Mr. Olanipekun was declared the winner. The APC described KWSIEC’s action as “ominous of the kind of criminal complicity in electoral brigandage which the PDP plans to deploy throughout the country to stay in power against the will of the people”. It added: “We, in the APC, are worried that such daylight robbery is still possible, despite the assurances that the electoral body would act with fairness and credibility in the coming elections. But from what happened in Offa, it would appear that the electoral body is least prepared to resist the PDP chicanery and blatant disregard for democratic process to perpetuate itself in power. “If KWSIEC allows itself, at this stage, to become compromised, then the series of future elections in some states would be as good as given to the PDP at the local and state levels, where they are in control. “At least, that is the message from Offa by the PDP, in collaboration with KWSIEC. We should warn at this stage that this kind of brigandage would be a diabolical receipt for anarchy, the type that could have the consequences of which the world has been predicting for Nigeria.” The party also called on good-spirited Nigerians to prevail on the PDP and KWSIEC not to set Kwara State ablaze through senseless electoral fraud.