LG Election To Hold In Plateau, Oct 10, Only 30 Tags For Over 200 Journalists
The Oasis Reporters
October 9, 2019
A foretaste of the nature of Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC elections for 2019 is likely to be rehearsed in Plateau State tomorrow, October 10, 2018. That is the date set aside for the long overdue local government elections to be held in the Local governments considered safe by Simon Lalong’s government.
Local, National and international Reporters had converged at the Nigerian Union of Journalists office in the State capital, Jos for accreditation. Over 200 Journalists were there as an expression of readiness to report the democratic process in the State also known as the home of Peace and tourism.
By the time Government House Information Officers got ready to distribute accreditation Cards to Reporters, only 30 were made available, for Journalists that were well over 200. And the cards are strictly for the Reporters that would cover the governor’s voting in his home zone. This equally implies that they must be “friendly” Reporters.
Without accreditation, whichever Journalist strays to monitor any voting anywhere else would be doing so at his or her own risk.
The results of the election are most probably going to be disputed since the likelihood of the presence of monitors would not be guaranteed.
It would be recalled that the Osun State election that was recently concluded recorded a high level of intimidation and militarization by people suspected to be thugs. Just as it happened in Ekiti State. In both elections, the ruling party at the federal level was declared winner.
