The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Kebbi State has announced its withdrawal from the upcoming Local Government elections, citing concerns over alleged bias and irregularities in the electoral process. The announcement was made by the state party chairman, Bello Suru, in a press statement on Thursday.
Suru accused the Kebbi State Independent Electoral Commission (KISEC) of being biased, alleging that its chairman and commissioners are members of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC). This, he claimed, would undermine the fairness of the elections.
“The Chairman of the State Independent Electoral Commission and all the commissioners are card-carrying members of the APC. Therefore, organising free, fair, and credible elections will be a mirage,” Suru said.
The PDP also criticized KISEC for imposing administrative fees on candidates, arguing that this practice contravenes the norms of election participation in Nigeria. Suru noted that similar fees are not charged by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for elections.
In response, APC Publicity Secretary Isa Asalafi dismissed the PDP’s allegations, attributing the party’s withdrawal to fear of defeat and internal defections. He also noted recent defections of PDP lawmakers to the APC.
KISEC spokesman Hassan Yauri refuted the claims of political affiliations among commission members, stating that the allegations were unfounded and urging the PDP to focus on the electoral process rather than making baseless claims.
