PDP demands arrest, prosecution of 14 INEC adhoc staff in Plateau
By Daniel Agada, Jos
The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, have demanded the immediate arrest and prosecution of 14 Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, adhoc staff over alleged conspiracy to skewed governorship election results.
Recall, the 14 INEC adhoc staff who were assigned to 14 polling units of Naraguta B ward of Jos North Local Government Area of Plateau during the Saturday’s 18th March, 2023 governorship and state Assembly elections said were disappeared in a thin air.
Chairman of PDP Plateau state chapter, Hon.Chris Hassan who spoke to newsmen at the party’s Secretariat in Jos Monday, lamented that the results from those polling units were not uploaded to the INEC result viewing portal, IREV, and the electoral officials for that polling units had absconded as all their phone numbers were reportedly switched off.
Hassan said, “This was confirmed by the Collation Officer of Naraguta B and the Electoral Officer of Jos North. According to initial reports and findings, the deliberate delay was calculated and intended to serve as a buffer for the rigging of the gubernatorial result in favour of the candidate of the APC Dr.Nentawe Yilwatda.
“The shameful role played by the Chairman of Jos North, Hon Shehu Bala Usman will remain in history as one of the most ignoble, reprehensible and despicable acts in the political history of Plateau state.
“Shehu at various times, before the final collation, physically obstructed, intimidated, cajoled, enticed and maligned the staff of INEC at the Naraguta B Collation Centre and Jos North Collation Centre and made himself, quite disgracefully, an advocate for the absconded electoral officials”, Hassan stated.
The state PDP chairman commended Police for the prompt arrest of the registration area technical officer (RATECH) for the Naraguta B, Mr. Umar Mohammed, who showed up almost 48 hours after the declaration was made with 14 BVAS machines.
“We call on the Nigeria Police to go after all the 3 Adhoc staff of INEC at the 14 polling units and the 14 Police officers attached to these polling units. It is clear that there was an active conspiracy amongst all those involved as all the 42 Adhoc staff in the 14 polling units switched off their phones as well as the 14 police men attached to these polling units.
” For a proper investigation and prosecution of these electoral offences, all 56 conspirators and collaborators should be arrested and given the opportunity to explain their various roles in the botched attempt to skew and rewrite election results against the popular will and wishes of the people of Plateau State.”
He further charged the electoral umpire (INEC) to immediately correct the results of Plateau Central Senatorial Zone Candidate with reference to Kanam LGA for over voting and corrections of the Senatorial results in Mangu LGA as a result of computation of errors detected and to immediately declare Chief Amb. Golkuna Yohanna Gotom as the winner of the Senatorial Election held on the 25th February, 2023.
Hassan also described the victory of Plateau governor elect, Barr. Caleb Mutfwang as God-ordained, noting, “it is a strong and manifest reflection of the wishes of the electorates across the state.”
You would recalled, the opposition party, PDP aside from governorship seat they won 2 senatorial seats, 5 out of 8 House of Representatives seats as well as 16 out of 24 state Assembly seats on the Plateau.
