From Olanrewaju Lawal, Birnin Kebbi
The recent elections in the 21 local government areas of Kebbi State have thrown up a new vista in the state’s political turf. While the ruling party, the All Progressives Congress(APC) has gained a political mileage from the polls which it won virtually unchallenged following the main opposition party, the Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP) boycott of the exercise, the opposition party which boasts of three sitting Senators, four House of Representatives members as well as four State House of Assembly members, political analysts opine, has missed the opportunity to consolidate at the grassroots, especially with the new financial autonomy for the LGAs in Nigeria.
Prior to the election, conducted on the August 31,2024, PDP had announced its withdrawal from the exercise, citing as reason, lack of confidence in the process. The party had alleged that the Kebbi State Independence Electoral Commission (KESIEC) would not be fair to them. According to the State chairman of the party, Alhaji Bello Usman Suru, the Commission’s chairman is allegedly a card-carrying member of the ruling party and therefore would not be relied upon for a free, fair and transparent election.
However, despite the opposition party’s withdrawal from the poll, it went ahead as scheduled with the APC clearing all the Chairmanship and councilorship seats.
Sources close to the APC leadership in Kebbi told Daily Sun that PDP’s withdrawal was a huge relief to the APC and was celebrated within the party as it had braced up for a stiff challenge from a possible defeat by the opposition party given its strength in the state. The PDP was expected to trounce the APC in Kebbi South Senatorial district which is the Constituency of Senator Musa Maidoki, a PDP Senator.
The party was also expected to triumph in Argungu local government area in Kebbi North, home base of Senator Abdullahi Yahyah as well as Aliero LGA, the home council of Senator Muhammed Adamu Aliero, all serving Senators of the opposition party.
However, the APC had a field day as it swept all the 21 Chairmanship and 225 Councilorship positions among whom are about 21 female Councilors who emerged due to the governor’s wife advocacy for the slots.
While declaring the results, KESIEC Commissioner 2, in- charge of Information and Communication, Alhaji Muhammad Kaura Dan-Hakimi, told newsmen at the Commission’s headquarters in Birnin Kebbi, the state capital, that the results which had been declared at various Councils and wards, showed that all candidates of APC have won in their respective LGAs.
According to him, “in all the Local Government Areas and Ward levels, APC candidates have won”
Earlier, Chairman of the Commission, Alhaji Aliyu Muhammad Mera, confirmed to the newsmen that all the LGA results had been declared at the various LGAs and wards.
According to him, “the Kebbi State Independent Electoral Commission (KESIEC) wishes to announce the official results of the Kebbi State Local Government elections held on Saturday, 31st of August, 2024 as already declared by the various Local Government Returning Officers in all the 21 Local Government Areas across the State”
Reacting to the victory of the ruling party, PDP, through its State Secretary, Hon. Abubakar Bawa Kalgo claimed that, the people of the state refused to turn out and described those who voted as voters arranged by the ruling party. According to him,” the glaring poor turnout of voters in today’s local government elections in Kebbi State is a pointer to the rejection of APC’s misrule in the country. Reports across the 21 local government areas indicated that only an insignificant percentage of voters arranged by the APC led administration took part in the exercise earlier boycotted by major opposition registered political parties in the state.
“Given this, the Kebbi State chapter of the PDP commended the people of Kebbi State for their dignified stand against mis-governance, incompetence, and economic insensitivity of the ruling party at the state and at the national levels. Since the inauguration of the APC administration in 2023, Nigerians have been engulfed in a serious economic mess, hardship, hunger, lingering insecurity, and political uncertainties due to the insensitivity of the leadership, the PDP therefore, urges the citizens to remain focused and prepare for a change of baton in 2027 for the betterment of the state and the country in general.”
Reacting to the PDP’s accusation, APC Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Issa Asalafi, described the main opposition party’s comments as a baby beaten thoroughly by his father. “You can’t stop such baby from crying”, he said, stressing that the results of the council elections have further neutralized the main opposition in the state. He noted that based on the election results, the chances of the PDP in the state to win the 2027 general election are very narrow.
His words: “As you know, somebody who didn’t participate in an election has no moral right to condemn an election adjudged by observers as free and fair. Initially, the PDP was given an opportunity to participate in the election right from day one and they really participated in the processes initially.
“They were fully involved and engaged IPAC in the processes. After a while, we just heard that they have withdrawn few days to the election. We asked for reasons and they told us the fees were too much and that they were not given a level playing ground.
“The KESIEC has been fair to all the parties. Between me and God, we in APC even accused KESIEC of giving PDP special consideration at the time they extended the time of collections and returns of the nomination forms because of the PDP. We were not happy but they told us that they wanted to give all the parties fair hearing.
“You can’t say you are stopping the submissions of the forms a day to the election only to give the PDP two weeks grace before election. Upon all these advantages, they withdrew. They withdrew because of the fact they knew they will be defeated because we are having good leadership in the state.”
Speaking further, Asalafi said: “The governor, Dr Nasir Idris has been doing a lot in terms of infrastructural development in the state and this made the PDP to be afraid that, if they contested against APC, they would be beaten mercilessly because the voters would not vote for them.
“If you consider the cost of the nomination forms prescribed by the KESIEC with other states in Nigeria, it is very low because they tempered justice with mercy. For example, in Kano State, where NNPP is the ruling party, they put N10m on Chairman nomination form, Vice- Chairman, N5m and N2m on Councillorship. In Taraba State, Chairmanship is N10m, the Councillorship is N5m and Vice- Chairmanship is N8m. In Jigawa State, Chairmanship is N5m, Vice-chairmanship N2m and Councillorships is N1m.
“In Kebbi State, Chairmanship is N500,000 , Councillorships and Vice-Chairmanship,N300,000 and Councillorship N200,000. So, KESIEC is fair to all of us. But we know that they are jealous because of the growth and development they are witnessing in the state because of the hard work of our governor, Dr. Nasir Idris in the last one year he came on board. So, they, the PDP do not have moral right to say anything on the election they were given all the opportunities to participate but withdrew from few days to the election “.
On the turn out of voters, Asalafi noted that PDP goofed for alleging that there was low turn out of voters, when voters actually trooped out despite early morning rain on the election day.
“We have both domestic and international observers and they all adjudged that the large turnout of voters were very encouraging, impressive and unprecedented in the history of local government elections in the state. Despite the fact that PDP withdrew, our voters came out, showed solidarity because of our governor and the results; the outcome of the election have spoken for us and they are there for the people to see.
“Kebbi State people have shone their eyes, they have differentiated between the bad and good. We have seen it all because our governor is changing the narrative in our state. Within one year and three months in office, development under this governor is unprecedented and in 2027, it will be a game over. PDP will be defeated and finally kicked out of the state “, he said.
Governor Nasir Idris, while speaking on the large turnout of the voters despite earlier morning rain, noted that his administration’s remarkable achievements would definitely speak for the ruling party. He explained that, the large turnout of voters despite the downpour before the commencement of the polls, showed that the people of the state appreciated what his administration has been doing for them.
The governor who voted at Nagari Science Government College, said: “like I said the other times, our government has provided an enabling environment for all parties. You can testify to it now when you visited this polling unit. You have seen things by yourselves. There is orderliness, people came out enmasse, male and female to cast their votes. This is the second election conducted since I became governor. Because, when I was elected, we did an inconclusive election and by- election in Arewa/ Dandi federal Constituency and Shanga/ Yauri federal Constituency.
“With Almighty God on our side, we were able to win all the elections and insha Allahu, by God’s grace, if track records would speak, I know the people of Kebbi State will come out and vote for our great party, APC. And by God’s grace, all our candidates will win in this election”.
Idris said further that: “the local government autonomy has come to stay and I don’t have anything against it as far as local government autonomy is concerned. I am a democrat; I am a labour leader and I know what financial autonomy means to the local government areas.
“We have been working harmoniously with our local government areas and when you visited these councils, you saw many projects going on and executed by them. You could see the presence of Kebbi State Government in all over the Councils. I am not unaware of the challenges of local government areas. So, as a true democrat, we have agreed to the judgment of Supreme Court and we have already abided by the Supreme Court decision”, he said.
On it’s part, a Non-Governmental Organisation(NGO), Rebuild Arewa Initiative for Development (RAID) at a press conference, commended KESIEC for providing an enabling environment for all the political parties to participate in the election without any violence across the state. Director, Strategic Communication and Publicity for the group, Comrade Bitako Abubakar Umar, while briefing newsmen, stated that they observed that the Councils election held on August 31, 2024 was as an advancement to the democratic progression in Nigeria. According to him, “ the KESIEC created a resounding environment for a very peaceful, thuggery and rancor-free election across all the polling units and Local government areas of the state we visited.
“We also observed that, the election was hands-on desk between KSIEC and IPAC and other critical stakeholders involved which gave them the success incurred at the end of the exercise. That, it is worthy of appreciating political parties for observing affirmative action on women participation in politics and governance, likewise, there was a significant percentage of youths’ involvement in the just concluded elections.”