Kwara All Progressive Congress (APC) chieftain Mohammed Dele Belgore (SAN) on Sunday dismissed as unacceptable and scandalous the purported announcement of results of Offa rerun poll on Radio Kwara. He said he takes it that it was a case of Radio Kwara acting the familiar script of the ruling PDP.

He urged the KWASIEC to follow the law by announcing the duly signed results that were given to all the agents of political parties in Offa on Saturday before the returning officer secretly left the local government collation centre in Offa and absconded to Ilorin, the state capital.

“When did Kwara Radio become the exclusive place to announce results of an election that held in open space across a local council? Why were all other media representatives and party chieftains who were at KWASIEC till daybreak not called to witness the announcement?” Belgore asked in a statement by his media aide, Rafiu Ajakaye.

The statement reads: “I am scandalised beyond words the impunity that is playing out following the peaceful and orderly conduct of the Offa Local Government rerun poll. As at 12:50 a.m. this morning, the KWASIEC chairman Dr Uthman Ajidagba was telling all the political party agents and representatives who had come from Offa to Ilorin that they should return to KWASIEC office Ilorin at 10 a.m.for official announcement of result. Strangely at 6a.m. on Sunday, Radio Kwara – in a martial manner mimicking military overthrow of civilian regimes – repeatedly announced that the PDP has been declared winner of the rerun poll.

“We take this to be the Radio Kwara, in its characteristic manner, merely acting the script of the party in power in Kwara. We are expecting proper announcement from the umpire, the KWASIEC. What has been announced on Radio Kwara is not known to the law and we take it that KWASIEC will still call us for result announcement.  They should come and announce the election result in accordance with the duly signed results that have been given to political parties in Offa.

“Interestingly, by 5:30 p.m, on Saturday duly signed results from all the 12 wards in Offa were already in at the local government collation centre in Offa. The results showed clearly that APC trounced the PDP in 11 of the 12 wards. PDP won only in Igboodun Ward. In all, APC scored 11,526 as against PDP’s 4,668. And while everyone awaited the KWASIEC Returning Officer for the Local Government to officially collate and announce the result, the official was nowhere to be found. Hours after, the police team directed everyone to move to Ilorin following reports that the KWASIEC man was already in Ilorin and was to announce the result there.

“Indeed, the law is very clear about where to collate and announce results for local government elections: it is the council headquarters of the electoral body. The fact that KWASIEC did not allow collation and announcement to take place at the right place is enough reason to smell foul play. That suspicion has now been confirmed beyond reasonable doubt with what is happening!

“It is interesting indeed that KWASIEC purportedly announced the result on Kwara Radio and not even at its headquarters in Ilorin. When did Kwara Radio become the exclusive place to announce results of an election that held in open space across a local council? Why were all other media representatives and party chieftains who were at KWASIEC till daybreak not called to witness the announcement?

“This is one impunity too many. It cannot stand. We shall challenge it in every peaceful and lawful. Like every Nigerian of good conscience, I join the good people of Offa to condemn this atrocious behaviour of the electoral body which has no doubt stripped it of any claim to civility or credibility. Clearly the election was just a mere window-dressing! We cannot continue along this catastrophic path. Not anymore. It is unacceptable.”