Plateau: INEC Quashed Rumors of Political Parties Involvement in February 3rd re-run

All of the political parties that ran in the Plateau State National Assembly election on February 25, 2023, have been verified by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as eligible to compete in the forthcoming rerun on February 3rd.

Rumors that the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) might not participate in the rerun in light of a Court of Appeal ruling have been dispelled by this statement.

The media was briefed by Dr. Tersoo Agundu, the INEC Resident Electoral Commissioner for Plateau State, on the commission’s rerun preparations. Agundu stressed that the reason for the rerun was not INEC’s fault, but rather a party’s disregard for a court ruling and the lack of organisation during the first election.

“The purpose of this meeting is to officially inform all of you about the Court Ordered Re-run Senatorial Election in Plateau North and the Federal House of Representative Election in Jos North/Bassa Federal Constituency, and to invite you all to once again inform the general public about the election and the imperative of their active participation and orderly conducts,” Agundu stated.

He gave specifics of the rerun’s coverage, which included a federal constituency in Jos North/Bassa and six local government districts in Plateau North. There are a lot of registered voters in the constituency, therefore in certain states, it’s like a gubernatorial election.

Agundu emphasised the extensive logistics required, pointing out that in addition to security troops, approximately eleven thousand ad hoc personnel are anticipated to be recruited and deployed.

The commissioner reaffirmed that accreditation must be completed using the Biometric Verification Authentication System (BVAS) and that only voters possessing Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) will be permitted to cast ballots. He urged security services to uphold this lawful requirement.

Additionally, he brought out the existence of polling places where there would be no elections because of low voter turnout. These four polling units are mostly located in Bassa and Jos North.

Agundu urged cooperation with the media to provide fair reporting as the commission gets ready for the repeat, stressing the significance of preserving calm throughout the voting process.

In conclusion, he reaffirmed the commission’s commitment to holding an inclusive, transparent, fair, and free election and urged all parties involved to foster a spirit of patriotism and peace.