PLATEAU PDP STATE CAMPAIGN COUNCIL AND EUROPEAN UNION OBSERVERS HOLD ANOTHER ROUND OF TALKS ON NATIONAL ELECTIONS.

PLATEAU PDP STATE CAMPAIGN COUNCIL AND EUROPEAN UNION OBSERVERS HOLD ANOTHER ROUND OF TALKS ON NATIONAL ELECTIONS.

By Yiljap Abraham

The European Union Election Observation Mission on Nigeria’s 2019 election has held another meeting with the Plateau PDP State Campaign Council following the rescheduling of national elections.

EU Long Term Observers, Petar Bahchevanov and Dovile Stoskeviciute with Rwang Pam Junior serving as a Team Assistant, were on Tuesday February 19 in the office of the party Chairman Hon Damishi T Sango in Jos. He was represented by the Deputy Chairman Hon Amos Gombi.

Hon Sango said the postponement has resulted in more sympathy for the PDP following widespread public disappointment in and anger with the federal government. He added that even APC supporters are expressing their support for the PDP because they have come to regard their party as insensitive and manipulative.

He added that the council is fully prepared to lead the party into the election and win it convincingly.

Hon Sango said the council’s committees are currently engaged in verifying all sensitive materials at the Central Bank which had earlier been released by INEC but retrieved after the polls were postponed.

He however expressed concern that the ruling party in the state had bought the tags of polling agents of 40 political parties for N4m. “The Council’s position is that PDP agents will resist the presence of the agents of these parties at polling units if their parties have not fielded presidential and national assembly candidates. They have no business to be at voting centres having already sold out their tags to APC.”

The Council has also expressed concern that INEC had deployed untrained ad hoc staff to take the place of the earlier trained staff for last Saturday’s exercise and so leaving alot of room for suspicion.

Chairman of the Campaign Council drew attention to President Buhari’s statement that ballot box snatchers could be shot dead, saying this is another threat to democracy.

He said the President’s utterance could be interpreted by security services who are to implement the President’s wishes to mean that they could carry out extra-judicial killings whereas the electoral law stipulates jail terms for offenders. The order, if carried out could also lead to a breakdown of peace and order at a time Nigeria should be undertaking a peaceful transition exercise. The Council does not support the commission of electoral offences in any way but insists that such offences be dealt with in accordance with the relevant laws of the land.

The EU Election Observation Mission had visited the PDP Secretariat in Jos on January 29, 2019 to familiarise themselves with issues bordering on campaigns, media, electoral rules and any other concerns the party may have in the course of its full participation in the electoral process.