APC accuses PDP of plans to rig Plateau senatorial election

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Plateau has raised concern over the allegded plan by the state Governor, Simon Lalong of the All Progressives Congress (APC) administration to rig the southern senatorial election on October 31.

Publicity Secretary of the party, John Akans, in a statement on Friday, alleged that Lalong was trying to disrupt the engagement process of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) ad hoc staff to be used for the poll.

The PDP alleged: “The Plateau state chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party is constrained to bring to the notice of Plateau people, particularly the southern senatorial zonal electorates, the civil society, national and international observers and indeed lovers of democracy steps being taken by the (INEC) state residents electoral commissioner Alh Haliru Pai who is acting the script of Governor Lalong and the APC candidate Prof Nora Daduut towards subverting the will of the people of Plateau State particularly the Plateau South Senatorial zone in the forthcoming senatorial election,” he said.

PDP also claimed that it had concrete evidence to prove the allagations.

“We have been reliably informed that the state resident Commissioner (Alh Haliru Pai) has started generating names in collaboration with the state Governor and the candidate of the APC to recruit APC members as Ad-hoc staff the commission will use for the senatorial election which we know will obviously disrupt the neutral process for the engagement of various Ad- hoc staff to be used by INEC.

“The normal and acceptable tradition is that the national youth service corps(NYSC) members are used in the electioneering process, or all political party’s involved in the election are requested to submit names of persons to be used as Ad- hoc staff but the state resident electoral commissioner Alh Haliru Pai and his APC collaborators are in the process of abusing it as it is a known secret that they are skewing the process to favour the APC since INEC doesn’t want to follow the due process .

“The way and manner in which it is concealed from the public is definitely suspicious.

“We are waiting for INEC announcement on Ad hoc staff recruitment ”

Read also: Ekiti APC members accuse Gov Fayemi of supporting Obaseki, anti-party activities

“Our specific reference here is on what is now happening in the commission in the recruitment of the following persons.

“The Polling officers (PO), who are supposed to be serving national youth corps( NYSC) members have been changed and Lalong and APC are nominating APC members to fill these positions to actualize APC’s Plans to rig the election.

“The supervising Polling officers are also being engaged by the state residents electoral commissioner Alh Haliru Pai to serve the interest of the APC.

” For the collation officer’s (CO) the state resident electoral commissioner is planning to influence the engagement of persons with personal ties with Governor Lalong and the APC candidate Nora Daduut to rig the election in favour of the APC during the polls thereby undermining the electoral process.

“We are equally aware that the state resident electoral commissioner has started working with the APC to get his officials work against the system and the people of plateau state.

“This plan is an evidence that the APC has lost the hope of getting elected through the ballot and are busy working with INEC Commissioner and other officials of INEC to subvert the will of the people.

Reacting to the claims, the Plateau APC secretary, Bashir said ”l can not even identified the PDP as been referred to. Is it the segmented, divided, scattered party? I urge them to go and put their house in order, and stop crying woe before the bereaved.

“The APC is fully prepared for the forthcoming election in the state and by God’s grace, we shall win the election.”

Join the conversation

Opinions

Support Ripples Nigeria, hold up solutions journalism

Balanced, fearless journalism driven by data comes at huge financial costs.

As a media platform, we hold leadership accountable and will not trade the right to press freedom and free speech for a piece of cake.

If you like what we do, and are ready to uphold solutions journalism, kindly donate to the Ripples Nigeria cause.

Your support would help to ensure that citizens and institutions continue to have free access to credible and reliable information for societal development.

Donate Now