By Our Correspondent.
The results of the last weekend’s bye- election in Plateau south Senate contest was full of intrigues involving the zone best political gladiators.
The contest was a test of power show between the state government, the Minister of Women Affairs, Dame Pauline Tallen, ex FCT Minister, Lt. General JT Useni and the candidate of the ruling APC, Prof. Nora Ladi Daduut on one side and the Representative of Langtang North and South at the House of Representatives, Hon. Beni Lar and the PDP candidate for the Senate, Rt Hon George Daika on the other side.
General Useni (rtd), the PDP Governorship candidate who lost to Gov Simon Bako Lalong in 2019, had directed all his supporters to vote for the candidate of the APC.
General Useni who nurtured grudges against the PDP and the heir apparent of the Chief Lar’s dynasty, Hon. Beni over his failure, had threatened to prove his control of the ownership of the Tarok politics.
However, a breakdown of the results according to local governments as announced by the Returning Officer of the bye Election, Prof Idris Amali indicated that in Langtang North, the APC with huge spending, got 12, 241 votes, while PDP scored 16, 841votes.
In Langtang South the APC polled 9,321 against PDP’s 12, 439 votes.
Hon. Lar outwitted the retired army general politically, delivered her constituency to the PDP.
In Mikang Local Government where the PDP candidate hails from, the APC scored 8, 425 votes, while PDP got 7, 887 votes.
In Shendam, the APC got 18, 542 votes, while PDP got 10, 223 votes; in Wase, APC got 21, 838 votes, while PDP scored 12,807 votes.
The result of Quanpan, the home local government of the APC candidate, indicated that APC scored 12,784 votes, while PDP got 10, 641 votes.
Apart from the APC and the PDP, eight other political parties also participated in the election.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has declared Prof. Nora Daduut of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as the winner of the Plateau South senatorial by-election held on Dec. 5.
The by-election was conducted to fill the vacuum created by the death of Sen. Ignatius Longjan which occurred on Feb. 9.
INEC’s Returning Officer, Prof. Idris Amali, announced that Daduut polled 83,151 votes to defeat her closest challenger, Rt Hon. George Daika, of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), who scored 70,838 votes; a margin of 12,313 votes.
“Daduut, having scored the highest number of votes cast and fulfilled the requirements of the law is hereby returned elected,” Amali said.
He said that the total number of accredited voters for the election was 159,191, while votes cast were 157, 803.
According to him, the valid votes were 155, 659 while 2,144 votes were rejected.
Nasarawa Reporters 