The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Plateau State has expressed strong dissatisfaction with the conduct of the local government elections held across the state’s 17 council areas on Wednesday.
In a detailed statement released on Thursday by the party’s State Publicity Secretary, Shittu Bamaiyi, the APC described the election as a massive disappointment, contrary to the assurances of transparency, credibility, and fairness that had been previously given by both Governor Caleb Mutfwang and the Plateau State Independent Electoral Commission (PLASIEC).
According to the APC, what was promised to be a fair and transparent electoral process turned out to be a carefully orchestrated exercise filled with deceit and malpractices.
The party accused both PLASIEC and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)-led state government of engaging in underhanded tactics designed to manipulate the election results in their favor.
The APC detailed several alleged strategies employed by PLASIEC and the PDP to compromise the election.
One of the major issues raised was the late start of the voting process in various local government areas, which, according to the party, was a deliberate attempt to disrupt the voting process.
Furthermore, the party accused election officials of deliberately supplying insufficient voting materials, particularly ballot papers and result sheets, to areas considered strongholds of the opposition.
Local government areas such as Kanke, Kanam, Wase, Shendam, Langtang-South, Bokkos, Jos-North, Pankshin, and Bassa were reportedly the most affected by this shortage, with only about 20 percent of the required ballot papers supplied.
Despite repeated requests from voters and APC representatives for more ballot papers, the Commission allegedly refused to provide additional materials, leaving many voters disenfranchised.
The statement noted that voters in some areas were asked to wait for more ballot materials that never arrived.
The APC also claimed that in some parts of the state, the elections did not take place at all, despite sensitive materials being distributed to polling wards.
It alleged that these materials were not used on instructions from unnamed officials, further undermining the credibility of the elections.
In areas where voting did occur, the party reported that result sheets were either missing or incomplete, leading to chaos at the close of the election.
The party further alleged that in key areas such as Kanke and Kanam, returning officers abandoned their posts without announcing the results, allegedly in collaboration with top government officials.
In Shendam, the APC accused officials of attempting to smuggle returning officers into the VIP lounge to falsify the election results, a move which was met with strong resistance from the local electorate, who insisted that the results be announced as required by law.
In light of these allegations, the APC has called on its supporters to remain calm and refrain from taking the law into their own hands.
The party assured its members that it would explore all legal avenues to ensure that justice is served and the true outcome of the election is revealed.
