The electoral process, which involved participation from five political parties—APC, APM, PDP, SDP, and Accord—was described by Okanla as peaceful, with no major casualties reported.
The Kwara State Independent Electoral Commission (KWSIEC) has declared candidates of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as winners of the local government elections held across the state’s 16 Local Government Areas on Saturday.
The announcement, made by KWSIEC Chairman Baba Okanla at the commission's headquarters in Ilorin, claims the APC won all chairmanship positions and secured all 193 councillorship seats.
The electoral process, which involved participation from five political parties—APC, APM, PDP, SDP, and Accord—was described by Okanla as peaceful, with no major casualties reported.
Okanla commended political parties for their commitment to a smooth election and thanked security agencies for maintaining order throughout the voting process.
However, the credibility of the elections has been called into question by numerous reports of irregularities, particularly in Offa, Baruten, Ifelodun, Irepodun, Ilorin East, Ilorin West and Ilorin South Local Government Area, where residents faced severe shortages of election materials.
Voting in Ilorin began at 10 a.m., two hours later than scheduled, while in Offa, elections commenced around noon and were abruptly halted due to insufficient ballot papers and result sheets.
A former council chairman from Offa expressed disbelief at KWSIEC’s handling of the situation, questioning how officials could arrive with inadequate materials for such a significant event.
Meanwhile, the candidate from the Peoples Democratic Party has called for the postponement of the election in Offa to ensure that all eligible voters can participate.
The election results are as follows:
Ifelodun LG: APC 22,524 votes, PDP 2,727 votes, and APM 482 votes.
Oyun LG: APC got 12,159 votes, PDP 356 votes, and APM 386 votes.
Oke Ero LG: APC 7,472 votes, PDP 1,168 votes, and APM 224 votes.
In Isin LG: APC obtained 8,173 votes, PDP got 1,165 votes, and APM 77 votes.
In Edu LG: APC got 23,963 votes, PDP 3,851 votes, and APM 424 votes.
In Patigi LG: APC 14,119 votes, PDP 2,939 votes, and APM 806 votes.
In Moro LG: APC got 14,555 votes, PDP 1,670 votes, and APM 117 votes.
In Asa LG: APC obtained 15,024 votes, PDP 2,638 votes, and APM got 41 votes.
In Ilorin South LG: APC 20,207 votes, PDP 2,072 votes, APM 226 votes, and SDP got 621 votes.
In Baruten LG: APC 38,549 votes, PDP 1,335 votes, and APM 665 votes.
In Ilorin East LG: APC got 20,883 votes, PDP obtained 5,383 votes, SDP 475 votes, and APM got 835 votes.
In Kaima LG: APC 23,029 votes, PDP 1,737 votes, and APM 59 votes.
In Ekiti LGA: APC 8,707 votes, PDP 907 votes, and APM 966 votes.
In Offa LG: Accord got 1,919 votes, APC 22,400 votes, PDP obtained 1,586 votes, APM 636 votes, and SDP got 391 votes.
In Ilorin West LG: APC 50,128 votes, PDP 4,202 votes, and APM 1,882 votes.
In Irepodun LG: APC 14,010 votes, PDP 2,106 votes, APM 559 votes, and SDP got 239 votes.
On Saturday, SaharaReporters reported that several polling units across the state experienced delays in the arrival of election materials, with some voters reporting missing ballot papers and untrained electoral officials, further fuelling frustrations.
Speaking with SaharaReporters, an elderly woman in the Ajikobi ward accused KWSIEC of preventing her from casting her vote.
"Look at me, an old woman with grey hair. They came here with only a few ballot papers. Not being educated has really affected me today. I've been here since morning.
"They brought only half the ballot papers. When we complained, they went back to get some more from their car. As people were voting, some individuals arrived with policemen and stopped the voting, taking everything away.
"We are hungry, and we came here to vote. If I knew how to speak English, I would have challenged the police."
She added that out of 800 registered voters, only 200 ballot papers were initially brought, causing people to refuse to vote.
"They later brought another 400, making it 600 ballot papers. Voters challenged them to bring the full number before they stopped and left."
SaharaReporters obtained a video showing ballot papers scattered on the ground, and a woman was dragged at Wara LGA Primary School, accused of snatching a ballot box.
In another video, ballot papers were scattered on the ground, with voters alleging that the ballots were pre-filled with votes for the APC.
A source told SaharaReporters that there was a gunshot incident at PU019, Ode Ile Eletu, Magaji Aare, Ilorin East, where voting was disrupted, but a truckload of police officers was deployed to restore peace.
Meanwhile, some party agents at polling units in Ajase Ward 1 raised concerns over irregularities in the ongoing LGA election, citing insufficient ballot papers and result sheets.
Comrade Musbau Esinrogunjo, a former Special Assistant to the governor and PDP agent for Ilorin West local government area, alleged that electoral officers were not deployed to several polling units.
He also accused the Kwara State Independent Electoral Commission (KWASIEC) of deliberately withholding essential election materials, including result sheets, from many polling stations.
Esinrogunjo stated, "In the Ogidi, Oloje, Pakata, and Warah wards of the local government, polling units did not receive enough ballot papers or result sheets. For example, a polling unit with 740 registered voters received only 350 ballot papers, while another with 500 voters was given just 200 ballot papers."
Meanwhile, Mohammed Baba-Okanla, chairman of KWASIEC, attributed the delay in the election process to logistical challenges while monitoring the election in parts of Ilorin.
He explained, "Some vehicles transporting election materials broke down, causing delays.
"However, we've addressed the issue, and normalcy has returned. In the areas we've inspected, the only problem was the late arrival of materials, but the situation improved once we intervened."