‘Compelling Security Challenges Facing Plateau Makes Us Postpone LGA Elections’ – PLASIEC
The Oasis Reporters
February 6, 2018
By Moses Gbande
The Chairman Plateau State Independent Electoral Commission (PLASIEC) Gabian Ari Ntung says compelling security challenges confronting the state could not allow commision to go ahead with the local government elections earlier slated for the 17th February 2018.
The PLASIEC chairman at a news briefing on Monday also said based on a communication received from security operatives on the prevailing atmosphere in the state, the local government elections in the state have been shifted pending a review of the situation.
According to him “the general public, and particularly stakeholders in the political process in the state, are hereby informed that the Plateau State Independent Electoral Commission (PLASIEC is in receipt of communication from the plateau state security council statng that the present security atmosphere in the state generally, could not guarantee a peaceful election and we were advised to postpone the date of the election”
He said “Before now we were very prepared to conduct the local government elections come February 17 2019, our materials had been made available until the report came from the security operatives.
“All concerned are hereby assured that as soon as the commission is again advised on the conducive nature of the security atmosphere in the state, a new date for the election will be announced”.
He said while the commission awaits such approval, it will continue to carry out other activities like the training of ad hoc staff preparedly for the conduct of the election.
He promised that the commission has remained focused and unshaken towards delivering on its mandate of conducting free, fair and credible elections within the ambit of the law.
He debunked the earlier claims made by one of the opposition parties in the state, that the law governing the operations of the PLASIEC, and that of the local government structures have not been assented to by the state governor.
He said the leadership of the party was rather begging to be heard, stressing when the laws were passed and assented to, the commission made copies available to all the operational parties in the state.
Reacting to the development, the state chairman of the Action Democratic Party, ADP, Ambassador Nanyah Daman expressed disappointment over the postponement, saying it is a conspiracy of the highest order.
According to him, it is highly disappointing because if the governor keeps saying he has achieved peace in the state and just barely few days to the conduct of local government election they now started claiming there is security threat, it is unacceptable, and it will be in their interest if they conduct this election in no distant future, because we cannot continue to tolerate this”.
