Saraki Laments As APC Wins Kwara Bye-Election

Senate President Bukola Saraki on Saturday cried out over alleged illegalities that characterised the bye-election in Kwara State, describing the exercise as not being free, fair and credible.

Senate President, Bukola Saraki

The APC candidate, Raheem Olawuyi, was declared as the winner of the Ekiti/Irepodun/Isin/Oke-Ero Federal Constituency bye election.

The result of the election held across the four councils that made the constituency was declared by the Returning Officer for the election, Professor Abimbola Adesoji.

According to him, Olawuyi polled a total vote of 21,236 to defeat his closest rival, Saheed Damilare of the Peoples Democratic Party, who polled 18, 095 votes.

But earlier before the result was announced, Saraki has taken to his Twitter account to lament about alleged illegalities during the poll.

“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.

“The public should note that today’s #KwaraByElection was simply between PDP and security agents plus APC. This was due to the heavy deployment of police, soldiers and other security agents who gathered to support APC and harass PDP leaders and supporters. We thank the people of Ekiti/Oke Ero/Isin/Irepodun who came out to vote today – defying the heavy intimidation and the siege laid by the security agents and thugs invited into the 4 LGAs by the APC,” Saraki wrote.

The election in Kwara is considered by many observers as one the APC may want to win at all cost to demonstrate its vow to wrestle the control of the state politics from Saraki, who recently dumped the ruling party for the opposition PDP.

Recall that a former deputy national publicity secretary of the APC, Comrade Timi Frank, had earlier before the election called on the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Ibrahim Idris, to resign with immediate effect.

He had accused the IGP of turning the police into the armed wing of the ruling party, adding that he allegedly used a Police Helicopter to ferry cash to the candidate of the APC in the bye-election to forcefully rig the elections.

Meanwhile, a House of Representative bye-election in Kankiya/Kusada/Ingawa Federal constituency of Katsina State on Saturday, also had APC candidate, Abubakar Kusada, emerged as winner.

Kusada, who was the Speaker of Katsina State House of Assembly before the election, was declared by the returning officer, Professor Adedayo Hamza, of garnering a total vote of 48,518 to defeat Abdussamad Yusuf of PDP, who came second with 20,193 votes.