Senate President Bukola Saraki and Kwara State Governor, Alhaji Abdulfatah Ahmed has described Saturday’s House of Representatives by-elections into the Ekiti, Isin, Irepodun and Oke-Ero Federal Constituency as a contest between the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and security agents rather than among political parties.
The condemnation came as earlier reports indicated that All Progressives Congress, APC may have defeated the PDP in the election by winning three out of the four local governments that made up the federal constituency.
But Governor Ahmed expressed confidence that the PDP will win the election in a statement by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Communications, Dr Muyideen Akorede,
The Governor said reports available to him from the four local government areas in which elections were held indicated wide-spread harassment, arrests and intimidation of PDP members and supporters by security personnel.
Governor Ahmed, however, commended PDP members and supporters across the federal constituency for standing their ground and defying the threats posed by the security agents by coming out to exercise their franchise at the risk of harm and arrest.
He said the heightened fear and intimidation orchestrated against PDP members and supporters and abetted by security agents led to voter apathy and poor turn-out in the areas that are traditional strong-holds of the party.
In his own reaction, Saraki said the election was simply between PDP and security agents plus APC due to the heavy deployment of police, soldiers and other security agents who gathered to support APC and harass the party’s leaders and their supporters.
“This is the first time that elections in Kwara State will be held under such charged, tensed and militarised conditions. We had INEC officials complaining about their own safety — and PDP supporters were brazenly intimidated, which resulted in low turnout of voters.
“It is important to reiterate that ahead of the 2019 elections, such open displays of intimidation are sending wrong signals. Our democracy is being undermined with this misuse of our nation’s security apparatus,” Saraki said.