The Kebbi State branch of the Intra Party Advisory Council (IPAC) and 18 political parties participating in the forthcoming local council elections have joined forces to call upon all eligible voters in the state to actively defend their votes and ensure their voices are heard.
In an extraordinary meeting held on Saturday, Alhaji Ibrahim Muhammed, the state Chairman of IPAC, emphasized that this election would be different from previous ones.
The parties, voters, and IPAC members are determined not to remain passive and allow the state electoral body, KSIEC, to declare results impartially.
The coalition expressed concerns about the administrative charges imposed by KSIEC, which they consider to be unaffordable for some political parties. These charges could potentially hinder the participation of certain parties in the elections.
The group urged KSIEC to either significantly reduce the charges or eliminate them altogether, taking inspiration from the federal electoral body, INEC, which adopts a more inclusive approach.
IPAC strongly cautioned against the appointment of partisan politicians from the ruling APC as ad-hoc staff for the elections.
They pointed out that in previous elections, partisan politicians were involved in the electoral process, which will not be tolerated this time, according to IPAC and the 18 political parties in the state.
Regarding election guidelines, the coalition called upon the electoral body to promptly release the guidelines before the commencement of poll activities.
According to their timetable, poll activities are scheduled to begin on July 7th, 2024, and end on September 7th, 2024, leading up to the main elections in August.
The coalition further emphasized that they will not accept the declaration of election results in the middle of the night when people are asleep.
They demanded that the winner, whether from the ruling or opposition party, must be declared openly and transparently.
The meeting was attended by 18 participating political parties, including the main opposition party, the PDP, reflecting a united front in advocating for vigilance and transparency in the upcoming local council elections.
