Protest, voter apathy,network failure, late arrival of materials mar Plateau LG Election
Electorates casting their votes at the Plateau 2024 LG Elections in Jos North LGA
By Eagle Eye News24
Protest, voter apathy and late arrival of materials were some of the challenges that marred Wednesday’s council election in Plateau State.
Despite assurances from the Plateau State Independent Electoral Commission, PLASIEC,Wednesday’s exercise showed that the commission got its projections wrong as internet connectivity failed, voters waited for hours in several polling units to cast their votes while others were not lucky as polling officers refused to show up on time.
At the Jos North local government distribution office , materials were yet to be distributed as of 12 p.m. with polling officers complaining of shortage of result sheets and stamps and poor distribution network.
One of the voters, Ndubuisi Patrick, told Eagle Eye News24 that the polling officers had not arrived as at 12 noon in Apata,Jos North.
He said, “I have been waiting but I am yet to see polling officers that will attend to voters in my polling unit and others in our ward. The election is yet to begin .”
This occurrence was witnessed by our reporters in many polling units in ,Apata 910,Apata 019,Prestige Hotel Junction,Kashim Ibrahim,Angwa Lagos 2 and Malam Farin ,Albakam all in Jos North LGA.
It was the same story at St Murumba College(polling unit 080),Zaria Road where voters waited for election officers to arrive with materials until about 1.26 pm. Nenrot Pam,said that he and some other voters left the venue at about 12.30pm after the polling officers weren’t around .
Responding to the issue,the Presiding Officer Palang Samuel attributed the delay to late arrival of election materials from the distribution center.
“We were unable to access our election materials on time and as of the other challenges we’ve encountered here is mainly poor network and low voters turn out.Our unit has just 25 registered voters
In parts of Jos North like Dung,Tudun Wada area, election materials arrived late in most polling units with attendant challenge of lack of internet connectivity and voting started around 11am with massive turn out and the
exercise went on without hitches.Although some of the newly created polling units like Right Way recorded low accreditation.
The LP Councillorship candidate for Jos North Local Government, Hon.Ebuka Zion Odinko, called for a transparent process and expressed optimism for a credible process.
” The exercise is okay so far but for some hitches.I urge that the PLASIEC allows for a transparent and credible process”.
In his opinion on the conduct of the LG election in the state,Hon.Peter Azi,former Speaker of the Plateau State House of Assembly shared optimism for a credible LG Polls and caution PLASIEC to allow for a free and transparent election.
“All the contestants subjected themselves for their various party primaries before they were considered as party flag bearers.I have been receiving different reports from various polling units of some challenges,nonetheless I hope some of the challenges will be rectify.
The election should be allowed to produced the best candidate from which ever political divide”.
The PLASIEC assured us of the technological innovations they have implored for the election but with the outcry of poor internet connectivity,we hope it will still work out fine”.
On his part the PDP party agent at Zik Avenue2,Rwam PamTownship Stadium Polling Unit,Hon.Ezekiel Daniel,expressed his frustration by calling on the electoral umpire to opt for manual accreditation.
“I am appealing to PLASIEC to allow for manual accreditation since there is poor internet connectivity.We are in touch with our party and they have informed us that the challenge is also been experienced in many polling units”.
Eagle Eye News24 reports that the LG election drama continued in many parts of Jos North,Bassa,Jos South LGA of Plateau State were elections was married by systemic failure resorting to manual accreditation.
