By Omowumi Omotosho
The Kwara State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has strongly opposed the rulings delivered by the Local Government Election Petition Tribunals regarding petitions challenging the outcomes of the September 21, 2024 elections in Ilorin South, Patigi, and Offa local government areas.
The party condemned the tribunal’s decisions, alleging that they were “deeply compromised and fell far short of the fundamental moral and legal principles required for a transparent and credible electoral process.”
The PDP’s chairmanship candidate for Ilorin South, Muhammed Ismail, popularly known as Maigida, along with his councillorship candidates, had approached the tribunal to contest the results, citing irregularities and electoral misconduct.
Expressing his dissatisfaction with the ruling, Ismail told journalists that he found the outcome deeply disappointing, especially given what he described as glaring evidence in the PDP’s favor and the admissions made by legal representatives of the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidates.
“We have copies of the election result as announced and signed by the KWASIEC officials indicating that we won eight of the nine wards where the said elections were held in Ilorin South while the APC candidate won just one since elections were not held in the remaining two wards.
“Even the candidate and his legal counsel admitted the fact that I won. Certainly, the judgement did not reflect the reality of what happened on September 24, 2025,” he said.
The Kwara PDP spokesman, Olusegun Adewara, in a statement, expressed “profound disappointment with the Tribunal’s verdicts,” stating that the elections were marred by deliberate disenfranchisement of over 85 per cent of voters in all the 16 Local Governments.
“In few areas where elections were held, PDP’s candidates secured overwhelming votes that were sorted, counted and announced by respective Electoral officials.
“However, original election results were discarded while the state’s electoral umpire (KWASIEC) criminally manufactured another at the Government House and imposed on the people to favor candidates of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
“While we hold the judiciary in high esteem and will continue to respect judicial pronouncements, we strongly disagree with the Tribunal’s rulings on Ilorin South, Patigi, and Offa. As presented credible, incontrovertible evidence clearly demonstrated the electoral fraud perpetrated by Gov. Abdulrahman-led APC administration in connivance with the KWSIEC. It is deeply troubling that these compelling facts were disregarded on mere technicalities,” Adewara said.
He therefore called on PDP members at all levels to remain calm and resolute, emphasizing that the ruling was merely “a temporary setback.” Reassuring party loyalists, he stated that “those who sit on stolen mandates will continue to be challenged, not only by our party but even by their own consciences.”
