The Kwara State Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has criticised the state Independent Electoral Commission (KWASIEC) over the handling of the forthcoming September 21 local council polls timetable.
State Secretary of the main opposition party, Abdullah Kayode Abdulrahman, stated this on Tuesday at a one-day pre-election stakeholders forum organized by KWASIEC at Fresh Hotel in Ilorin, the state capital.
Abdullahi expressed concern over the commission’s decision to extend the timetable twice, which he said had distorted the earlier procedures released by the commission.
He charged KWASIEC to communicate the new timetable to not only the registered political parties but also the general public, stating that the public did not expect such actions from the commission.
The state party secretary, who asserted that there was nothing worth commending yet in the activities of KWASIEC, also questioned the authority under which the commission was extending the timetable.
He urged the commission to caution its yet-to-be-employed ad-hoc staff, electoral officers (EOs), and assistant electoral officers (AEOs) to remain neutral before, during, and after the local government elections.
Abdullahi warned the commission against allowing the ruling party, APC, to recruit ad-hoc staff on their behalf, emphasizing the importance of neutrality in the election process.
He stressed that this would ensure a free, fair, and credible election, unhindered by partisan interference.