APC Plateau State Accuses Government of Attempting to Compromise Upcoming Local Government Elections

 

The Plateau State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has raised serious concerns about the state government's intentions regarding the upcoming local government elections, scheduled for October 9, 2024. 

In a press statement released on Wednesday, by the Acting Secretary of the party, Shittu Bamalli, the party accused the government of attempting to undermine the integrity of the electoral process through a proposed amendment bill.

According to the APC, the state government recently introduced a bill in the Plateau State House of Assembly seeking to amend the existing law governing the conduct of local government elections by the Plateau State Independent Electoral Commission (PLASIEC). 

The bill, which has already sparked heated debate within the House, was referred to a five-member committee tasked with submitting a report within five days.

The party's primary concern centers on a provision in the proposed bill that it describes as "obnoxious." Section 67 of the draft bill vaguely states that the Electoral Officer shall announce the election results, without specifying where this announcement should take place. 

This contrasts with the current law, which mandates that results be announced at the polling unit, ward, and local government headquarters levels.

The APC argues that the ambiguity in the new bill is a deliberate attempt to compromise the transparency and credibility of the election process. The party expressed alarm that the proposed bill fails to explicitly define where election results should be announced, which they see as a significant deviation from Section 20 of the existing law.

"If the truth must be told, there is nothing wrong with the existing Act as far as the local government elections are concerned," the statement read. "More especially when the provisions of the PLASIEC law are similar to those of the Electoral Act, 2022 as amended."

The APC further criticized the proposed executive bill as "ill-conceived, ill-timed, subversive, and self-serving." The party also took aim at Governor Caleb Mutfwang, accusing him of failing to honor his previous assurances that his administration would not interfere with PLASIEC's activities or the conduct of the elections.

In light of these developments, the APC called on other political parties in the state, except the People's Democratic Party (PDP), to join in opposing the bill, which they believe threatens the principles of transparency and fair play in the electoral process.

The statement concluded by commending members of the Plateau State House of Assembly for voicing their reservations about the proposed bill and urged them to continue scrutinizing any legislation that could undermine the democratic process.