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Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Kwara State, BABATUNDE MOHAMMED, speaks with David Olusegun about the party’s dissatisfaction with the results of the local government elections, as well as other national issues.
You said the local government election held in Kwara State was the worst. What are your justifications for such a claim?
Firstly, there were no elections in some places. In one local government, the election was not held, but results were fabricated and announced. Some people were declared winners where elections didn’t happen at all. A good example is Offa, where there was no election in any of the 12 electoral wards. Yet, at the end of the day, some people were declared winners. This has never happened in the history of our state. There is a difference between rigging and daylight robbery. In my local government, there were about six or seven wards where the election wasn’t held at all, yet some people were declared winners. In the entire Ekiti Local Government, there was no election because the result sheets were not available. That is not democracy. But I thank God that the people of Kwara State have seen what happened. It clearly shows that the APC, which has been in government for over five years, has done nothing to improve the lives of the people. That is why they were rejected and resorted to what they did with the election. The Kwara State Government and KWASIEC (Kwara State Independent Electoral Commission) perfected the arrangement to handpick and force those people on the electorate in the state.
In PDP states like Oyo, the party also won all the council seats. Don’t you think this is a replica of a trending activity among the political class?
But they had elections there. We are telling you that there was no election at all in Kwara. In many parts of the state, there was no election, yet people were declared winners. The ruling party can win the polls, but they should allow other political parties and the electorate to participate fully. There should be enough materials for the elections, and votes should be counted. For this election, the outcome is not acceptable to us.
As a former Speaker of the Kwara State House of Assembly, what is your take on the move by the House of Representatives to stop state electoral commissions from conducting local government elections?
I was opportune to serve as a councillor between 1991 and 1993. The election was organised by the federal electoral body. We have been clamouring for the commission that will handle local government elections not to be under the state government to avoid unnecessary influence, as we have seen. INEC should be empowered to handle it. There is no need to set up another commission for that.
There was controversy over the conduct of INEC during the 2023 general election, with claims of rigging for the APC. What makes you think giving them additional responsibilities won’t be problematic?
We have to agree that there was what you call the Nigerian factor. For those of us who have visited advanced countries like the UK and the USA, elections are easy to organise when the electoral umpire is clear-minded and ready to do the right thing. It’s very simple: if Mr. A wins, declare him the winner. BIVAS must be used for transparency. We are causing problems for ourselves by rigging elections. Why should I force myself to be a senator if the people don’t want me? Look at what happened in Kwara during the last election. The APC was rejected. This is a party that has been in power for over five years, but they forced council chairmen on the people through their kangaroo election. They cannot win a single local government if they allow one man, one vote. The beauty of democracy is allowing those elected by the people to govern. When that happens, there won’t be corruption in Nigeria.
Your party was in power before the APC came with the ‘Otoge’ movement. Are you saying the people are tired of the APC they overwhelmingly voted for to remove the PDP?
When you talk about the overwhelming vote for the APC, it only happened in 2019. What happened in 2023 is a different story. In 2019, the APC truly won over the PDP, but what happened in 2023? Well, the candidate didn’t challenge it in court, so I don’t have anything to say on that. But as it stands, Kwarans are tired of the APC, and that was clear in the last election.
What is your take on the current situation of the country?
The economic situation in the country is becoming unbearable. It is becoming very difficult for parents to feed their children and families. Many families are now withdrawing their children from schools, even government-owned schools. If salary earners are struggling, you can imagine the situation for the unemployed. The government’s economic policies are not helping. In advanced countries, governments encourage local investors to create job opportunities. How can a country develop when a dollar is N1,700? I don’t know what went wrong with this APC government, but things have gotten worse. In 2015, under former President Jonathan, a bag of foreign rice was around N8,000; today, it’s around N100,000. How can people survive? People are dying. The government must ensure fuel prices do not exceed N250 or N300 and that the dollar exchange rate stays between N200 and N250. Once these things are done, there will be some relief for Nigerians. The issue of insecurity is another matter. People can’t go to their farms anymore. Things that cost N30,000 five years ago are now N250,000. Transportation that used to cost N1,500 now costs N7,000. So many things have gone wrong under this APC government.
But some have blamed your party for contributing to the country’s current problems, saying they are a carryover from the PDP government. What do you say to that?
The truth is that the APC has left Nigerians in shock because they failed to deliver on their campaign promises. In 2014-2015, the APC promised heaven and earth, but they have not done anything. The PDP struggled to manage the economy to the point that a bag of rice cost N8,000 as of 2014-2015, and petrol was N100 per litre. Today, it’s over N1,000 per litre. I left office as Speaker in 2011, so I know what I am talking about. The APC has ruined the economy to the point where families can’t even feed their children. Nigerians regret giving power to the APC in 2015.
Will petrol return to N200 per litre if the PDP is given power again?
By the grace of God, yes. Nigeria is blessed with crude oil, so there is nothing wrong with the government subsidising fuel, kerosene, gas, and diesel for Nigerians. That is the only thing the people are enjoying. The issue of insecurity must also be seriously addressed.
