The Peoples Democratic Party in Plateau State has appealed to the Independent National Electoral Commission and security agencies to ensure fairness during the conduct of the November 28 bye-election for the vacant Quan’Pan North, State House of Assembly seat.
The seat became vacant when the occupant, Jeffrey Dashe of the PDP, died on August 25 after a protracted illness.
Mike Dachom, the state Organizing Secretary of the PDP, told newsmen in Jos on Thursday that his party had apprehensions over the slated poll following rumours that the state ruling party had bought over INEC and some security agencies.
Dachom said rumours had it that they had taken sides with the ruling party in the state, the All Progressives Congress, in running the election.
He said: “The PDP is concerned with rumours making the rounds in the state that the ruling party has mobilized INEC and security agencies to harass opposition in the election.
“I appeal to security agencies and INEC, we know them for fairness and we want to believe that they will extend the same fairness to this election.
“This is because we are hearing a lot of rumours that the state ruling party intends to use them to harass and intimidate voters in their favour.
“We want to use this medium to appeal and cry out loud to attract their attention to know that we are aware of such plans and to call on them to allow people interested in voting-in their own candidate to do so.”
Dachom said the party’s candidate in the election was duly affirmed by delegates.
He said: “Five aspirants indicated interest for the position, later four of them dropped and we were left with one aspirant.
“Going by provisions of the constitution and what happened in Taraba, we did not want a repeat of that situation so we affirmed the candidate.
“INEC gave us a date for the primaries, we issued ballot papers to test whether the candidate is popular or not and 24 out of the 30 delegates accredited for the primaries gave their ‘yes’ vote.
“Even though he was a consensus candidate, we have to affirm him under strict supervision by INEC and security agencies.”
According to Dachom, the party had commenced election rallies for Aloy Daboer, who emerged as its candidate for the Saturday bye-election.
He said the rally would encompass the five wards in the state constituency comprising of 50 polling units.
Dachom advised security personnel in the state against intimidating opposition party members during the election, while pointing out that the seat in contest rightly belonged to the PDP.
Reacting to the appeal and claim of the PDP, Osaretin Imahiyereobo, the INEC Deputy Director and Head of Voter Education and Publicity in Plateau State, debunked the allegation.
Imahiyereobo said INEC was not aware of the rumoured plan and promised that the commission would conduct a free, fair and credible poll, having put in place all the needed security measures to gain the confidence of all the stakeholders.
Some of the measures, he said, included deployment of tested card reader machines for use during the election, restriction of movement of persons who had nothing to do with the poll and disallowance of use of temporary voter cards.
Imahiyereobo said manipulation of the poll results was impossible as INEC had adopted e-collation method in sending results directly to Abuja as soon as they were received.
Currently, he said, all personnel for the poll had been trained but that distribution of sensitive materials had yet to be done.
He promised that INEC was ready to conduct a free, fair and transparent poll.
He said: “As far as we are concerned, Quan’Pan election is a very sensitive one to us.
“Anybody who has nothing to do with it will not be allowed to enter the different venues on that day.
“To ensure security, we have held stakeholders meetings at the Local Government level and visited the State Security Service and the Commissioner of Police to show you how serious it is.
“Quan’Pan is a small place.
“We have received assurances of adequate security for the poll.”
The Police Public Relations Officer for the state, Emmanuel Abuh, told newsmen that the rumour was not true.
Abuh said the police was meant for all stakeholders in the election in the discharge of its function of maintaining security.
According to him, the police will make sure the election holds in a free and fair manner as personnel will be adequately provided.
Naomi Cishak, the Plateau State Commandant of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, also told newsmen that she was not aware of plans of a buy over of security agencies.
Cishak however said the NSCDC was poised to provide adequate security for the poll.