Yakubu Busari, Jos
Sango, PDP, Chairman, Plateau State
The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in Plateau state has accused the All Progressive Congress , APC, of secret plot to rigs the local government poll scheduled for October ,stressing , it is not comfortable with the motive behind the planned action by the Plateau State Independent Electoral Commission, PLASIEC.
Piqued by the decision of the government to exclude four LGs from the polls, the party advanced reasons why it thinks otherwise.
The Party Chairman, Damishi T Sango in an address said “we see our Democratic tenets spiraling down the abyss under some unfamiliar and misleading appearance.
“First of all, we see the advancement of insecurity as reason for the isolation as a well crafted grand design to disenfranchise voters from these four local governments with a combined voters population of over one million.
” It is clear that both Jos North and Jos South have never had any security challenges in recent times that would confer certification for postponement of elections for ‘now’.
Arguing that in a recent security briefing, Major-General Ogondu, the Commander of Operation Safe Haven (aka STF) mentioned Bassa, Bokkos and Mangu local government areas as other flash points in the State, but did not include Jos North and Jos South, he alleged that the governments plan to rig the polls is very obvious.
” We consider it absurd for anyone to use insecurity as a reason for isolating the four local governments in the forthcoming council polls when, time and time again, the Plateau State Government and it’s functionaries have always utilised the slightest opportunity offered them to celebrate the return of ‘permanent’ peace in the State .
“It is on record that while ushering in the Jos Carnival in May this year, the Governor’s wife, Mrs. Regina Lalong, in her speech, said along with her husband and Governor of the state, Lalong, while declaring the Jos Carnival closed, the state is now a safe zone for investors to carry on their businesses without fear. We are today lost on the paradox at play, and are constrained to asked: how do you attract the same investors when you are using insecurity as a reason to isolate some council areas in the forthcoming election.
“Well, it is no longer news that during the 2015 general elections in Borno State when insurgency was at its height, and where the APC polled 473,543 votes in the presidential election, most of the local government areas voted at the Internally Displaced People’s (IDPs) camps in the State. How is it that today, in Plateau State, we are being told that the environment, including Jos South, the seat of government and where people are going on with their lawful businesses, is unsafe for elections?
Accordingly, they have gone ahead to remove the Local Government Electoral Officers and their assistants, and replaced them with civil servants who are not permanent staff of the Commission and who are drawn from some state and federal establishments (we have the details), an action which is not only a contravention of the electoral law, but criminal
“As we caution on the need to avoid needless pains and further traumatization of our people, we wish to put Governor Lalong and PLASIEC on notice that we shall contest their evil action in court.”
