By Mumini Abdulkareem
The Kwara State chapter of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on Tuesday said no fewer than eleven political parties will contest the forthcoming by-election into the seat of late Hon Funke Adedoyin.
Adedoyin represented Irepodun/Oke-Ero/Ekiti/Isin federal constituency at the National Assembly and was the only female lawmaker from Kwara state in the 8th legislature among the nine from the state.
The seat which became vacant in September after the demise of the lawmaker has attracted interest from political parties in the state after INEC announced November 17, 2018 for the election.
But speaking with this reporter in a telephone chart, the INEC Head, Voter Education and Publicity, Barrister Jacob Ayanda revealed that eleven political parties would be participating in the by-election out of the over ninety in the country.
Asked to name the parties, Ayanda said the identities will be clearer after the submission of forms for the contest.
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), All Progressives Congress (APC), Social Democratic Party (SDP) and Allied Congress Party of Nigeria (ACPN) are reportedly some of the parties that have fielded candidates for the race.
While lamenting the low turnout of registered voters for the ongoing collection of Permanent Voters Card (PVCs), the INEC spokesperson said those affected should see the ongoing exercise as golden opportunity and take advantage of it.
According to him, “About 11 parties will partake in the forthcoming by-election for the seat of late Hon Funke Adedoyin. I can’t give their names now because the process is stage by stage. “Today (Tuesday) is the last day for submission for form CF00 and nomination form and until those who have obtained and submitted the forms before we can say those contesting.
“On the voters registration, we have already displayed the register and people have turned out. The Resident Electoral commissioner, Mallam Garuba Madami monitored the exercise in three local governments of Edu, Ifelodun and Ilorin metropolis and we saw people already checking their names. It has taken off very fine.
“So the ongoing exercise is only displaying of the register of voters for people who have claims or objection to their names or somebody that have died. It is not registration and we are also distributing PVC simultaneously along with it.
“But those that have so far come out for the collection of PVCs are still very few in the places we visited and we still need to let people know that this is a golden opportunity for them. They have been complaining that the collection points were too far from them and now we have moved it nearer to the wards and we pasted it at the polling units. So whoever has problem after checking at the polling unit will now g to the ward headquarters, all these centres are very close to them”, he added.
The PDP and APC have picked Alhaji Jimoh Alatise and Raheem Olawuyi Ajulo-Opin as their respective candidates for the election.
…Afolayan, Ibiwoye, Dallas, Bada, Duntoye, make PDP 20-man campaign c’ttee
By Mumini Abdulkareem
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Kwara State has inaugurated a 20-man Campaign Committee to prosecute the November 17 Ekiti/Isin/Oke-Ero/Irepodun federal constituency by-election.
According to a statement by the PDP State Publicity Secretary, Tunde Ashaolu, the Senate President, Dr Abubakar Bukola Saraki inaugurated the committee following the emergence of Alhaji Saheed Alatise as the consensus candidate of the party for the election.
The statement noted that before the inauguration, Saraki extolled virtues of the late Hon. Funke Adedoyin who represented the federal constituency at the House of Representatives and acknowledged her achievements in office.
It added that while inaugurating the committee, the Senate President charged the committee members to work towards the success of the party in the election.
The statement disclosed that Chief Ebun Folayan was announced Chairman of the committee, while Chairman of Irepodun Local Government, Hon Muyiwa Oladipo will serve as Secretary.
Some of the members of the committee include Hon. Anu Ibiwoye, Elder Bamidele Oke, Engr. Dare Bankole, Kehinde Alex Bankole, Kwara South PDP Youth Leader, Apole Felix Alaba, Kwara South PDP Women Leader, Hajia Falilat Age, Ben Duntoye, Shamsudeen Bada, Bola Afolayan, Adewara Juliana Funsho and Isin local government PDP Youth leader, Sunday Akanni.
Others are Chairman of Ekiti local government, Hon. Yinka Dallas Ayeni, Chairman Oke-Ero council, Hon. Bayo Oni, his Isin counterpart, Ladi Omole, and all the four councils PDP chairmen within the constituency.
They are Rotimi Owolabi (Oke-Ero), Saheed Oyelowo (Irepodun), Hon. Isaac Afolayan (Isin) and Alhaji Abdulganiy Rahi (Ekiti).
The PDP spokesperson expressed confidence that with the calibre and quality of members of the campaign committee, victory is certain for the party in the by-election.
Ashaolu also urged all eligible PDP members and supporters to go out en masse to vote for the party’s candidate and guard their votes at the polling units during the election on Saturday, November 17, 2018.
