Jos LG polls: PDP heads to tribunal, assembles 20 lawyers

About three weeks after the controversial local government
elections in Plateau State, the Peoples Democratic Party on
Saturday said it had lined up 20 lawyers, including Senior
Advocates of Nigeria, to challenge irregularities at the Local
Government Election Appeals Tribunal.

The PDP alleged that officials of the Plateau State Independent
Electoral Commission deceived party agents with telephone calls
only to disappear to Jos and announce the results in favour of the
All Progressives Congress.

The Legal Adviser to the PDP in Plateau State, Binchen Jantur,
who stated this in an interview, alleged that the government could
not even have pity on a cripple and the PDP chairmanship candidate
in the Mangu Local Government Area, Ayuba Gofwen Burki, who, it
claimed, won the election.

The election was held on Wednesday, October 10, less than one
year to the end of the current administration of the APC.

The Chairman of PLASIEC, Fabian Ntung, had while declaring the
results, said the APC won the polls.

The PDP in faulting the election claimed that it won 11
LGAs.

Jantur said, “So, we are challenging the LG election, our team
of lawyers are working assiduously to see that we show the world
that this type of election has never been held anywhere in the
world. We are assembling about 20 lawyers; we have divided these
lawyers into zones. Some of them will handle the LGs in the
southern zone, while others will handle the LGs in the Central and
Northern zones effectively.

“We are looking at our opponents and what they will showcase.
Some SANs are behind us, but for now we have to keep our weapons in
the dark. I’m surprised because this is not how elections are
conducted. For instance in the Mangu LGA, the electorate
unanimously voted for the candidate because of his popularity, even
though he is a disabled (cripple).

“The entire people of Mangu came out and voted for him
massively. But the governor and PLASIEC manipulated the results
without even sympathising with him. In fact, the election was won
clearly by the candidate of the PDP. We are spirited because
election was won by the PDP candidate, votes were being collated
and results came in. But yet, Lalong and PLASIEC asked the
electoral officers to leave the area and return to Jos where the
results were announced. We have evidence and we will show it in
court.”

He added, “In fact, the irregularities were systematically done
in all the LGs, that was what happened. The same system that
happened in Mangu was the same that took place in all the LGs. I
was there and witnessed it. For instance, in the Langtang North
LGA, there are 18 wards, out of which PDP won 14 in the
councillorship polls. So, we were in the LGA for the collation of
the chairmanship results.

“Incidentally, the LGA management committee chairman and the
electoral officers, including the returning officer, were
disappearing one after the other. One said, ‘let me answer a phone
call’, and we never saw him again. That was how all the agents of
the political parties that participated in the election waited till
the following day.

“We were there when we heard that the Langtang LG election was
inconclusive after waiting for about three days. They did not tell
us what made it inconclusive, thereafter it was announced that the
APC won the election. The interesting thing is that the PDP
defeated Lalong and the Deputy Governor, Prof. Sonni Tyoden, in
their polling units.”