BY CHAMBERLAIN ODEY, JOS – The Plateau Independent Electoral Commission PLASIEC) has declared that the participation of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the forthcoming local councils’ election in the State came to naught by 4pm on Friday.
PLASIEC said the development followed the failure of the party to meet up with a High Court ruling directing it to put an elected executive committee in place to take charge of its affairs.
Reacting to an outcry by the PDP accusing the PLASIEC of plotting against it by ranging unassailable hurdles on its way, the State Electoral Commissioner, Comrade Patrick Mamgin, said the PDP is responsible for its own frustrations, stressing that the party exhibited a lot of lack of preparedness, including asking the PLASIEC to give nominations forms for free, and deliver same to the PDP State Secretariat along Yakubu Gowon Way, Jos.
A Jos High Court, in Suit Number PLD/J304/2020, between Bitrus Kaze with 21 others and the PDP and 20 others as defendants, ordered inter allia that “the 1st defendant (the PDP) to take all steps, actions to conduct election for the executive committee for Plateau State in accordance with the combined provisions of Section 223(1)(a) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended), and Section 85(3) of the Electoral Act (2010), Article 49(1) of the Constitution of the Peoples Democratic Party and Paragraphs 5.2-5.5 of the guidelines for the conduct of ward, LGA, State, Zonal Congresses, and the National Convention of the Peoples democratic Party”.
Although the PLASIEC was not a party in the suit, it said it is in receipt of petitions from the Bitrus Kaze group warning it not to entertain dealings with the PDP because it is a factional group, and doing so, PLASIEC will be committing contempt of court.
The Plateau State PDP Caretaker Committee however said that after dealing extensively with the PLASIEC, including inviting it to observe its party congresses in line with the guidelines for the Local Government elections, it is clear to it that “the electoral umpire has devised an agenda to unlawfully exclude the PDP from the forthcoming elections”.
Dismissing PLASIEC’s reference to a court ruling and factions, the PDP Caretaker Committee said its inauguration ended an era, and that the said Court other has no bearing with the local government elections or PLASIEC activities.
The PDP in a statement signed by its Secretary to the Caretaker Committee, Hon Patrick Ogbu, stressed that it is curious that the PLASIEC which is not a party to the case that gave rise to the said Court order is taking a position with a party in the matter.
The PDP specifically said that it is also surprised that even when there is no order or injunction from any Court restraining PLASIEC from releasing nomination forms to candidates, the electoral commission has deliberately denied its members from participating in the Local Government polls.
