Politics
It’s miscarriage of justice, APC rejects Plateau LG polls result
The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Kanam Local Government Area (LGA) of Plateau State has rejected the outcome of Saturday’s local government election, citing irregularities.
Addressing journalists in Dengi on Thursday, Prof. Salleh Kanam, a prominent APC member and former Chairman of Kanam LGA, expressed dissatisfaction with the conduct of the election, particularly in Kanam. He claimed that the election was marred by several irregularities.
According to Kanam, the APC had secured a significant lead in 14 out of the 20 wards based on 95% of the results collated by the party’s agents. He alleged that some electoral officials had disappeared with the results sheets, raising concerns about the transparency of the process.
Kanam called on the Plateau State Independent Electoral Commission (PLASIEC) to ensure proper collation of the results and urged them to address the alleged irregularities in the electoral process.
”Voting went peacefully and our people turned in mass to vote for our candidates.
” APC candidates overwhelmingly won 95% of the election in Kanam; we won in 14 out of the 20 wards.
”All the returning officers for this local government absconded from the ward collation centres,”he alleged.
Mohammed also raised concerns over the delay in announcing the results, noting that by established practice, the results would have been announced considering that there were minor territorial or logistic challenges encountered.
Also speaking, Mr. Kalamu Idris (APC-Dengi constituency), described the event as a ”miscarriage of justice”.
He explained that the outcome of the election in the locality was far from what the electoral umpire promised the people of the state.
Idris called on PLASIEC to do the needful by announcing the actual winners of the election in Kanam and other LGAs in the state.
The lawmaker, however, called on the people to be peaceful and law abiding.
However, a coalition of election observers, under the aegis of Nigeria Network for Peace and Good Governance, commended PLASIEC for successfully conducting the polls.
Mr James Shalom, spokesperson of the group, lauded PLASIEC for ensuring a peaceful and transparent electoral process across the state.
He maintained that inspite of the initial challenges encountered, particularly the late arrival of election materials in some polling units, insisted that the exercise was generally credible.