Earlier Yesterday, the Kwara State Independent Electoral Commission (KWASIEC) held a one-day pre-election stakeholders forum at Fresh Hotel, Fate Road, Ilorin. The forum aimed to engage stakeholders from all 16 Local Government Areas of Kwara State in preparation for the upcoming Local Government Elections scheduled for September 23, 2024.

KWASIEC Chairman, Mallam Muhammad Baba Okanla, provided an overview of the commission’s preparations, including the primaries and the process for obtaining nomination forms. The event featured an interactive session where KWASIEC officials and political party stakeholders addressed various concerns.

Key topics discussed included partnerships with media and security agencies to ensure public awareness and a peaceful election. Mallam Okanla reassured stakeholders that all registered party names would appear on the ballot paper to prevent any potential violence. He also emphasized the importance of training ad-hoc staff to avoid errors due to inexperience.

Mallam Okanla highlighted the inclusion of people with disabilities in both the voting and election monitoring processes. He confirmed that the election would utilize a manual balloting process.

Participants raised several issues and offered suggestions to improve the election process. Concerns about ensuring all party names appear on the ballot and the necessity of thorough training for ad-hoc staff were prominently discussed.

The forum concluded with feedback from attendees. The PDP party chairman, representing the participants, expressed gratitude for the opportunity to engage with KWASIEC and confidence in the preparations for a peaceful election.

In attendance were KWASIEC staff, political party stakeholders, and commissioners, including the Hon. Commissioner for Publicity, Planning, Research, and Statistics, Engr. T.H. Salami, Hon. Commissioner for Legal Matters, Hon. Gbadeyan Gbadura Yomi, and Hon. Commissioner for Personnel and Political Matters, Engr. Janet Abdullahi.