The Elites Network for Sustainable Development (ENetSuD) says it has carefully studied the proposed amendment bill on the Kwara State Local Government Electoral Law that was recently sent to the Kwara State House of Assembly (KWHA) by Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq.
Among many sections proposed for amendments, the group was it was specifically concerned about the intention to amend section 20(1) of the law.
A statement signed by its Director of Legal Services, Lukman Raji, Esq on Sunday said, “Of course, we are not in full support of some other sections, but they are secondary to section 20(1).
“We consider the amendment of section 20(1) as a calculated attempt by the Governor to push the conduct of the Local Government election in Kwara State to year 2025, which is intended to be controlling the resources of the 16 LGAs through proxy in the name of the illegal Transition Implementation Committee (TIC) that has been repeatedly sacked by the Courts.
“Instead of following Court judgements and doing the right thing, the Governor has been buying time to pursue a frivolous appeal at the Supreme Court without any diligent prosecution of his case.
“In the bill sent to the KWHA, the Governor proposed to change the notice period for Kwara State Independent Electoral Commission (KWSIEC) to conduct Local Government election from 90 days (as contained in the current law) to 360 days (one year).
“It will be recalled that in our press statement of 3rd September 2023, we alleged that some government actors are mischievously circulating the idea that KWASIEC needed one-year notice before it could conduct a Local Government election in Kwara State. We insisted that KWSIEC does not need one-year notice of the Local Government election.
“Following our statement, KWSIEC displayed its lack of independence to the public by refuting the claim that we know to be truly emanating from the Government House.
“ENetSuD has now been vindicated by the action of the Governor to legalise, through the KWHA, this mischievous plan that KWSIEC earlier refuted.
“It is sad to note that despite the rush of KWSIEC to dismiss such undisputable insinuation of one-year notice, the electoral body has done nothing to inform the public of its plan to conduct Local Government election, which is its sole responsibility in the governance of our dear Kwara State.
“This confirms our previous allegation of abandonment of duty by KWSIEC. The current KWSIEC seems not to be independent and competent to perform the statutory function of conducting free, fair, and credible local government elections in the state.”
The group said, “A Governor that has disregarded the law of the land to unlawfully sack democratically-elected Local Government councils and impose illegal Transition Implementation Committee (TIC) in all the 16 LGAs of the State, in flagrant disregard to the Courts on different occasions, has no moral standing to hide under harmonization of state electoral law with the Federal Government electoral act for his personal agenda.
“Again, we pass a 'vote of no confidence' on KWSIEC, as it has shown not to be independent of the Kwara State Governor in the discharge of its duty. An electoral body that has been inaugurated since 19th May, 2023 and failed to take any step about the conduct of Local Government elections where Local Government is not existing in Kwara State at the moment can't be trusted to know its job.”