Kwara REC gives PDP 48 hours to apologise or risk court action for alleged defamation

Resident Electoral Commissioner, REC, in Kwara State, Malam Garba Attairu Madami, has demanded an official apology within 48hours from the state Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, for alleged defamation of character.

Briefing newsmen in Ilorin on Monday, Garba, said he will seek redress in court if the party refuses to do a public apology in the print and electronic media within 48 hours starting from today, Monday.

” I am giving Kwara PDP forty-eight hours for a public apology in print and electronic media of which after expiration, I will take a legal action for defamation of character and assassination of my integrity built over 40 years and has been one of my life proven here in Kwara since assumption of office, July 25th,2018.”

Reacting to allegations levelled by the spokesman of the PDP, Prince Tunji Moronfoye, in which the Resident Electoral Commissioner was alleged to have collected N300m from the ruling APC government of Governor Abdulrahman AbdulRazaq, to manipulate the 2023 general elections in the state, Garba, described it as “unfounded, baseless and a pack of lies, therefore, ”I demand proof of the allegations and evidence.”

He also described another allegation where he was quoted to have said at a management meeting of the commission that ” I totally hate Saraki and will do anything in my power to stop him in Kwara State” as totally false, lies with intent to defame his integrity and name.

The Resident Electoral Commissioner further denied the accusation of importing IVED machines from Niger State to Kwara for the registration of voters.

He explained that at the last meeting of resident electoral commissioners on June 9th,2022, with INEC Commissioners, to review the continuous voters’ registration, CVR, and Permanent Voters Card, PVC collection and challenges, he joined most of the RECs who complained about inadequate IVED machines and the surge of the crowd in the last-minute rush to register.

” I requested three IVED machines for large Local Government Areas based on Kwara registration data available to me, Ilorin West, Asa, and Baruten. Other RECs collected between 4-15 IVED machines,” he added.

On the call for his redeployment from the state by the PDP, Garba said that remains the prerogative of the INEC led by the chairman, Professor Mahmood Yakubu.

He assured the people of Kwara State that INEC under his watch will conduct free, fair, credible, transparent and peaceful elections come 2023, as ” I am for everyone in Kwara and not for any individual.”

The Publicity Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in the state, Prince Tunji Moronfoye, on Thursday, alleged among others that at a clandestine meeting between the resident electoral commissioner and the Kwara State governor, N300m changed hands in connection with the impending 2023 general elections.

Moronfoye, also alleged that at a management meeting of the commission, Garba was quoted to have said ” I totally hate Saraki and will do anything in my power to stop him in Kwara state and that he went to Niger State to bring IVED machines to Kwara for registration of voters in the state.