By Onyewuchi Ojinnaka
As the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC ) conducts Edo State gubernatorial election on Saturday September 21 (today ), the Kwara State Independent Electoral Commission (KWASIEC) also conducted local government council election today
Numerous reports of irregularities were noticed regarding the local government elections across the 16 Local Government Councils in Kwara State.
Many residents accused the Kwara State Independent Electoral Commission (KWSIEC) of disenfranchising them, leading to questions about the credibility of the election process.
Several polling units across the state experienced delays in the arrival of election materials, with some voters reporting missing ballot papers and untrained electoral officials, which further caused tension and frustrations.
Speaking with reporters, an elderly woman in the Ajikobi ward accused KWSIEC of preventing her from casting her vote.
“Look at me, an old woman with grey hair. They came here with only a few ballot papers. Not being educated has really affected me today. I’ve been here since morning.
“They brought only half the ballot papers. When we complained, they went back to get some more from their car. As people were voting, some individuals arrived with policemen and stopped the voting, taking everything away.
“We are hungry, and we came here to vote. If I knew how to speak English, I would have challenged the police.”
She added that out of 800 registered voters, only 200 ballot papers were initially brought, causing people to refuse to vote.
“They later brought another 400, making it 600 ballot papers. Voters challenged them to bring the full number before they stopped and left.”
According to a video obtained by SaharaReporters, showed ballot papers scattered on the ground, and a woman was being dragged at Wara LGA Primary School, accused of snatching a ballot box.
In another video, ballot papers were scattered on the ground, with voters alleging that the ballots were pre-filled with votes for the APC.
A source told journalists that there was gunshot incident at PU019, Ode Ile Eletu, Magaji Aare, Ilorin East, where voting was disrupted, but a truckload of police officers was deployed to restore peace.
Meanwhile, some party agents at polling units in Ajase Ward 1 raised concerns over irregularities in the ongoing Local Government election, citing insufficient ballot papers and result sheets.
Comrade Musbau Esinrogunjo, a former Special Assistant to the governor and Peoples Democratic Party agent for Ilorin West local government area, alleged that electoral officers were not deployed to several polling units.
He also accused the Kwara State Independent Electoral Commission (KWASIEC) of deliberately withholding essential election materials, including result sheets, from many polling stations.
Esinrogunjo stated, “In the Ogidi, Oloje, Pakata, and Warah wards of the local government, polling units did not receive enough ballot papers or result sheets. For example, a polling unit with 740 registered voters received only 350 ballot papers, while another with 500 voters was given just 200 ballot papers.”
However, Chairman of KWASIEC, Mohammed Baba-Okanla attributed the delay in the election process to logistical challenges while monitoring the election in parts of Ilorin.
He said , “Some vehicles transporting election materials broke down, causing delays.
“However, we’ve addressed the issue, and normalcy has returned. In the areas we’ve inspected, the only problem was the late arrival of materials, but the situation improved once we intervened.”
