Supporters of the PDP on Thursday boycotted the rerun election conducted by the Plateau State Independent Electoral Commission to get a definite winner for the Mangu Local Government chairmanship seat.
Fabian Ntung, PLASIEC chairman, had ordered for a re-run in Fomulam polling unit in Kerang District and Kantoma polling unit in Mangu Halle District, after declaring that elections held there were inconclusive.
The elections were held on October 10, with the ruling APC winning 11 local government chairmanship seats that were declared.
PLASIEC had declared that the process was not concluded in Mangu and Langtang South Local Governments following pockets of violence in some units.
He fixed Thursday, October 18, for the rerun.
But Dr. Ayuba Gufwen, the PDP candidate, told newsmen on Wednesday in Mangu that his party would not participate in the rerun.
Gufwen, who described the rerun as “illegal and fraudulent”, had claimed that he won the poll at the first outing, and declared that a rerun was “unnecessary”.
He said: “As a democrat, I have consulted with my party and supporters and we have collectively decided not to participate in the illegal exercise so as not to give legitimacy to this travesty of justice.’’
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the rerun, which stated at 8.00 a.m., witnessed very few voters who all voted one way.
Hosea Plang, the Electoral Officer, told NAN that the response of the electorate was “not so bad even though PDP and its supporters boycotted the rerun”.
Plang said: “As you can see, everything is going on smoothly without any problem. All the sensitive materials have been provided and we don’t have any challenge at all.
“We are happy that the rerun is peaceful. We should finish before noon.”
Sarpiya Irmiya, the APC candidate, who spoke with NAN after visiting the two units, thanked the APC supporters for participating in the rerun.
Our correspondent, who monitored the exercise, reports that it was completed before noon with the results moved to PLASIEC headquarters in Jos.
Speaking to NAN shortly after the rerun was completed, Gufwen said that the PDP stayed away because the exercise was “unnecessary”.
He said: “What PLASIEC has done is a mockery of our democracy; it is a huge shame that should be condemned by all.”
Contacted, Chindor Dafat, the APC Publicity Secretary in Plateau, said that it was wrong for the PDP to have boycotted the rerun.
Dafat said: “The party should have participated and ventilated their grievances in a court of law.”
NAN reports that the elections were conducted in 13 of the local governments after the state government left out Jos North, Jos South, Riyom, Barkin-Ladi, citing security concerns.
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