Offa LG poll: PDP candidate disowns victory •Says APC won in his ward •He was not our candidate for the rerun -PDP

A new twist has been introduced to last Saturday’s rerun election in Offa Local Government Area of Kwara State, on Wednesday, when the councillorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Shao South-West ward, Mr Jimoh Afolabi Olawole, who was declared winner alongside others by the Kwara State Independent Electoral Commission (KWASIEC), said he did not win the election.
However,  in a swift  reaction, the chairman PDP Offa, Mr Goke Rabiu, said  Olawole, who claims to be PDP councillorship candidate for Shao South-West was dropped before the election, because he was not part of those who secured a court judgement for a rerun.
“In fact, he had since joined the All Progressives Congress (APC) and was part of their pre-election rally,” he said.
Similarly, the former chairman of Offa Local Government Area, Mr Saheed Popoola, of the APC, also called on all stakeholders to appeal to KWASIEC to release the “authentic” results, which he claimed he won,  with all the councillors of the party.
Speaking at a press conference in Offa, on Wednesday, Mr Olawole and some other  APC stalwarts, said the denouncement of the victory awarded by KWASIEC became necessary, because “as a true son of Offa, I stand for equity and justice.
“I did not win that election in all the eight polling units,  APC won convincingly. We didn’t win. I am a loyal member of the PDP, but first and foremost, I am a Muslim and as a person, I won’t allow anyone to take what belongs to me, neither will I take what belongs to another,” Olawole said.
Popoola also said he would do everything possible within the ambit of law and democratic rights to retrieve this mandate and exercise it to the benefit of the people of Offa and to the glory of God.
“We shall not rest, we shall not sleep and we will not be tired, until the people’s mandate is respected and the rightful candidate is sworn in.
“It is going to be struggle, but we are ready for it in the most decent manner. We have petitioned the Radio Kwara for breaching the electoral laws by announcing the results when it should be announced at the polling centres.
“We have also petitioned KWASIEC for making itself an appendage of the PDP.
“In the next one month, I can say that we will get them out of that place by all legal means, because the place does not belong to them.”
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