* asks them to vote according to their conscience

By Olufemi Oni, Ilorin

The Kwara State Chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has urged the people of the State to be vigilant and not be swayed by the recent reintroduction of the Subsidised Transport Palliative Programme by the State Government, ahead of the forthcoming local government elections slated for September 21.

According to the PDP, aside from the subsidised transport palliative, the State Government has also reportedly directed that a list of 150 individuals from each of the 193 wards of the State be compiled and submitted to KWASSIP for a purported N50,000 empowerment, with this exercise expected to cost about N700m.

A statement by the party’s Publicity Secretary, Olusegun Olusola Adewara, said: “We believe that these moves and more that will still be unveiled by the state government are desperate attempts by Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq to deceive the people and buy their conscience.

“Kwara PDP expresses deep concern over the governor’s actions, noting that, not only is he determined to empty Kwara treasury if need be to secure votes for his handpicked APC candidates. We also gathered that he is contemplating on borrowing more money to finance the local government elections in favour of his party.

“We call on Kwarans not to be swayed by the deceptive tactics and Greek gifts from the State government that are designed to subject them to further hardship. We urge the electorate to stand firm in their resolve to elect candidates who will genuinely serve their interests and address their challenges.

“With the recent Supreme Court judgment granting financial autonomy to local governments, the power now rests with the people, particularly those at the grassroots. We must seize this opportunity and ensure that candidates handpicked by the governor do not prevail. Allowing those candidates to win would mean the continuation of the Transition Implementation Committees (TICs) imposed by the governor since 2019, who have crippled the administration of the 16 local government areas.

“The PDP urges the people of Kwara to see through all deceptive tactics, and collect whatever Greek gifts offered to them by government but should uphold their conscience and reject candidates handpicked by Governor AbdulRazaq. Now more than ever, we must remain united and steadfast in our commitment to bring about a new era of Local Government administration that will genuinely serve the people and bring insecurity to a halt.

“We all must reject these Greek gifts and work together for a brighter future of our local government areas.”