By Mumini Abdulkareem
The Kwara State Chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and three other political parties billed to contest in the forthcoming local government election in the state have dragged Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed and the Chairman of the Kwara State Independent Electoral Commission (KWSIEC), Dr Uthman Ajidagba to court.
The complainant filed a suit challenging the competence of Ajidagba, to superintend the elections scheduled for November 18.
The other disaffected parties are allegedly the Action Democratic Party (ADP), Kowa Party (KP) and Labour Party (LP).
But there were conflicting reports about the status of KOWA and Labour Party in the suit.
Though, the lawyer handling the brief, Bar Sambo Muritala maintained that all the aforesaid parties are on the same page regarding the issue, there was report that KOWA and LP have no chairmanship candidates for the election.
The suit numbered (KWS/350/2017) was filed on the parties’ behalf last Wednesday and joined as respondents is Governor Ahmed and KWSIEC.
The parties are praying the court to determine whether or not the participation of Dr. Ajidagba in a radio program, APC Gberede, sponsored by the All Progressives Congress (APC) on Harmony FM Radio Station, Idofian, is justifiable.
Murtala also wants the court to determine whether it was right for Dr. Ajidagba to have gone to the radio programme to respond to allegations of bias levelled against him by the PDP on September 21.
According to him, the KWSIEC Chairman’s alleged participation in the radio programme carries the strong possibility of bias against the four political parties in the forthcoming council polls adding that if the answers to his prayers are in the affirmative, the court should declare KWSIEC and Ajidgaba as incapable of conducting credible elections, given his affiliation to the ruling APC.
The applicants’ lawyer is also seeking an order directing Gov Ahmed to remove Dr. Ajidagba as KWSIEC Chairman and replace him with a credible person to conduct the poll.
In a telephone chat with National Pilot last night, Murtala noted that the process would be served on the respondents today which will be a prelude to assign date to the case.
He said this is a fresh case, different from the one that the PDP had appealed seeking to stop the conduct of the poll.
