The Plateau state independent electoral commission, PLASIEC, has announced the results of Wednesday’s local government elections conducted in Plateau state.
While announcing the results at the PLASIEC headquarters on Thursday morning, Chairman of the Commission, Fabian Ntung, said the All Progressives Congress (APC) won eleven out of the thirteen chairmanship positions in the state.
He however explained that the elections for Langtang North and Mangu LGAs were declared inconclusive as a result of ballot box snatching and other electoral irregularities.
But in a swift reaction, the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) rejected the results as announced by PLASIEC.
Chairman of the party in the state, Hon. Damishi Sango, while briefing journalists at the party’s secretariat, insisted that the PDP won in all the local government areas except Kanam LGA.
He described the announced results as fraudulent since collation was allegedly still ongoing when PLASIEC announced the results.
Sango said, “I have invited you today to address you on the just-concluded elections held in 13 Local Government Areas of the State.
“I desire that you alert the people of the state on the dangerous plot by Governor Lalong to worsen the already precarious situation in the state.
“While anxious voters are waiting at the collation centres to get PLASIEC’s verdicts on their free franchise, the electoral officers and returning officers have disappeared into the thin air, leaving room for avoidable anxiety.
“Meantime, we have it on good authority that PLASIEC has just announced the names of the so-called winners of the election, and that Governor Lalong is planning to swear in the said winners later in the day, while results have not been announced.
“From the foregoing, it is clear that Governor Lalong and the ruling APC in the state, out of their desperation to hold on to power even when it is clear that they have lost same, are hell bent on plunging the state into yet another needless political crisis.
“I spoke to the Commissioner of Police, Plateau State Command and the State Director of Security Services a short while ago intimating them on the present sad development, and made it clear to them that Governor Lalong should be held responsible for any breach of peace in the state should he and his cohorts continue on the dangerous path they have chosen to tread.
“At this point, I wish to appeal to Governor Lalong to allow good conscience to prevail at this solemn moment in the state, and allow the will of the people, as spoken through the ballot, to prevail.
“Already four Local Government Areas were excluded from the elections owing to insecurity. I now asked, can we afford to worsen the already fragile security situation in the State?
“As a responsible political party we have all along chosen the path of peace even in the face of grave provocation,” he maintained.
“I invite all well-meaning people of Plateau State to reject this desperation by Governor Lalong to subvert the people’s will, which has further exposed the height of his impunity and disregard for peace, unity and good governance of Plateau,” he stressed.
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