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The Action Congress
of Nigeria in Kwara State on Monday staged a protest in Ilorin
rejecting the outcome of Saturday’s National Assembly election that
gave the ruling Peoples Democratic Party a sweep to victory in the
state.

The protesters
alleged that the ruling party colluded with some INEC presiding
officers to influence the outcome of the poll, claiming that its
candidates were clearly leading at the wards level before the general
collation.

The peaceful
protest which was held in some parts of the state capital was, however,
planned to be heightened if INEC refuses to meet the protesters demand
for an investigation of the matter.

The ACN
governorship candidate in the state, Mohammed Dele Belgore, led the
protest with hundreds of youth holding brooms and chanting anti-ruling
party songs.

Also at the rally
were the Kwara ACN Caretaker Committee Chairman, Kayode Olawepo;
Senatorial Candidate (Kwara Central), Ibrahim Oloriegbe; Senatorial
Candidate (South), Anu Ibiwoye; Senatorial Candidate (North), Musa
Audu; and other party members.

Victory though the courts

Addressing the
rally, Mr. Belgore thanked the people of the state for their turn out
at the polls, declaring that “we know that they voted for us massively,
but their mandate was stolen.”

He, however, urged
the people not to “despair because we will restore this mandate through
the legal means. But let it be clear to these riggers that it can no
longer be business as usual.

“We will no longer
allow anybody to impose himself or herself on our people. The people of
Kwara want a change and this was what they demonstrated last Saturday
when they trooped out in thousands to vote for the ACN. But this
mandate was stolen. We will help our candidates to reclaim their stolen
mandate, no matter what. We urge our people to be calm and not to
resort to violence.”

He described the
rally as a means to send a strong message to election riggers and their
collaborators to desist henceforth, maintaining that the party “won the
election with a landslide but they manipulated the outcome in
continuation of the status quo. This will not stand.”

The party, through
its chairman, however, said that it will address a press briefing today
on the outcome of the election, saying the statement will adddress
issues of violent intimidation of the voters in areas like Asa,
Ifelodun where he alleged ACN agents were arrested and kept out of
circulation until the end of the election.

However when the
police spokesperson, Dabo Ezekiel was called at the end of the election
on Saturday, he told next that nobody was arrested throughout the
election, claiming that he was coming from the state CID to see the
situation of things there.

A day after the
election, reports of an arrest of 23 thugs was however announced but
Mr. Ezekiel refused to comment on the development when contacted.

However, the ruling party chairman, Yusuf Ayedun has also debunked
the allegation of rigging saying that whoever is not satisfied could go
to any length to get justice.