PLASIEC In Quagmire On How To Strengthen Exhibits At Tribunal

BY CHAMBERLAIN ODEY, JOS – The controversies that trailed October 2018 local government councils’ polls in Plateau State are yet to go down as apprehension is rife within the state’s political circle following reports that the Plateau State Independent Electoral Commission (PLASIEC), is working to cook evidence to strengthen the illegalities it committed which the opposition is pleading at the election petition tribunal.

Although a source at the PLASIEC dismissed the claim as baseless, there was outcry by some politicians that the State electoral body had commissioned voters to thumb print additional ballot papers for it, which it hopes to use to authentic some claims at the tribunal.

It was gathered that the PLASIEC as at today, was paying as much as five thousand naira (N5000) per commissioned voter who must be identified and certified by an ad hoc screening body and confirmed to be of the particular local government area to which the vote is ascribed.

A member of the PDP state working committee told our reporter that “the PDP is fully aware of the schemes employed by the PLASIEC to use more illegalities to strengthen the illegalities they earlier committed during the elections”.

He further said; “The first thing they did was to invite all the returning officers to come and sign the fake results for them before they are tendered as exhibit at the tribunal. Fortunately or unfortunately, they could not agree on the amount to be paid to the returning officers for such dirty job.

“Let them continue their destination after conducting the most controversial and laughable elections ever. We are closing in on them”, he concluded.

There were condemnation, protests and public outcry that trailed the outcome of the October 10, 2018, local councils elections in Plateau State, especially as the results were being announced by the PLASIEC while collation of results were still going on.

Although Governor Looking went ahead to give legal garb to the anomaly by holding a midnight inauguration of the ‘elected’ chairmen, he urged the aggrieved parties to ventilate their grievances at the local government elections petitions tribunal set up by him earlier.