Date: 2013-10-30

Former gubernatorial candidate of defunct Action Congress of Nigeria(ACN) in Kwara state, Muhammed Dele Belgore(SAN), has challenged the Kwara State Independent Electoral Commission(KWSIEC) over 800,000 votes allegedly allocated to all Peoples Democratic Party(PDP)candidates in the last Saturday local government election.

Belgore,in a statement yesterday by his media aide,Mr Rafiu Ajakaiye, said the general public needed to ask where KWSIEC saw the over 800,000 votes it claimed were cast in the sham election that recorded some of the worst voter turnout in history.

"We watched in amazement the desperation with which the Kwara State Government, the outlawed New PDP in Kwara and Kwara State Independent Electoral Commission (KWSIEC) proceeded to hold the local government election which outcome was already known even before the election was held.

"The gold prize of utter irresponsibility goes to the KWSIEC for displaying brazen disrespect for the law and decorum by proceeding to conduct an election when court cases challenging the legality of the guidelines and timetable for the said election are still pending.

"For the record, the guidelines used for the election are nonexistent in law because the law backing it up has since ceased existence following an amendment made to it by the Kwara State House of Assembly which hurriedly changed the 150 days notice of election contained in the Kwara State Electoral Law to 90 days to comply with the constitution of Nigeria.

"Why did the KWSIEC proceeded with the election whose guidelines had been issued pursuant to a defective law?

Why did KWSIEC not issue a fresh guidelines to comply with the new law?

What was the rush knowing it is violating the law and that the whole exercise amounts to a nullity?

"Also, what law was KWSIEC relying on by allowing to stand for the election as candidates individuals who already pledged allegiance to a political association (New PDP) that the court has expressly dismissed as unlawful?

"And where did KWSIEC see the over 800,000 votes it claimed were cast in the sham election that recorded some of the worst voter turnout in history? For instance, up to 18 of the 20 people who responded to a question by Ilorin.info on Twitter and Facebook on Saturday said they did not vote because they felt it was a one-party affair and there is no point wasting their precious time."