By TERYIMA ANDREW-
The Plateau southern sensorial candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Barrister Peter Dandam Kefas whose election was declared inconclusive by INEC, said the Independent National Electoral Commission INEC has plan to deny electorates from five polling units of his strong hold from voting him.
Barrister Dandam who made the allegations in Jos, on Thursday, during a press conference, said INEC have scheduled rerun elections in the southern Plateau senatorial district and excluded five polling units.
“Of great concern to us is the exclusion of about 5 polling unit by INEC. We fell shortchanged by INEC for excluding the polling units from voting during the forthcoming rerun.”
The PDP senatorial candidate stressed that “please note that these 5 polling units were included in the report submitted by the electoral officer (EO) of the affected local government areas.”
Barrister Dandam lamented that “we wish to state categorically clear that failure to conduct rerun in these areas mentioned, amount to disenfranchisement of people from the affected areas which is a infringement on their constitutional rights to vote.”
He named polling the omitted polling units to include two killer wards of Langtang north, one in Bolyah Langtang south, one in Baltip in Mikang local government and another in Kadarko district of Wase local government Ares.
The PDP candidate explained further that “elections could not be held in the affected local government areas due to failure of card reader and violence, as a result of gun shots; infact, at Bolya, their is a police report to that effect, but reason best known to INEC, these areas were ignored.” He stressed.
Reacting to the development in an interview, chairman, Plateau southern Zone of the People’s Democratic Party Simon Domle said the omission of the polling units by INEC was a deliberate attempts to rig the said elections in favour of the ruling All Progressive Congress APC.
The PDP chieftain expressed fears that INEC might be partisan in the elections “I fell the omission of the polling units is to negate the opposition political parties against the APC.”
Meanwhile, the PDP chieftain and the senatorial candidate however sue for a peaceful elections, and call on security operatives to keep a close watch on electoral process during the polls this Saturday 9th March 2019.
It is on record that INEC in Plateau state had earlier this week notified Plateau citizens that senatorial and houses of representative elections shall take place in six local government areas concurrently with the governorship and state houses of assembly polls this Saturday.