11 parties to contest Plateau LG poll, mock election holds Sept 28

Plateau State Chairman of the Plateau State Independent Electoral Commission (PLASIEC), Mr. Plangji Cishak, has disclosed that 11 political parties are participating in the October 9 local government elections.

While there are 75 chairmanship candidates who have been cleared to contest the elections, 788 councillorship candidates have also been cleared, with 325 electoral wards across the state participating.

Cishak said this on Thursday at a stakeholders’ engagement in Jos, where all the candidates were in attendance.

He assured the people that there should be no fear of rigging and violence during the elections, as there would be transparency and corruption-free conduct throughout, before, during, and after the elections.

He pointed out that people should bear in mind that no political ambition is worth the taking of lives, urging the stakeholders to be peaceful and law-abiding throughout the exercise.

The PLASIEC boss also announced that there would be a mock election scheduled for tomorrow, September 24, so that if any lapses are detected, they can be remedied before the real elections, stressing that the intention is to ensure that nobody is left out of the exercise.

He said, “Many candidates have lost confidence in PLASIEC because of what used to happen in the past. But rest assured that this is different, and the irregularities will not repeat themselves.”

He told the stakeholders that arrangements have been made for conveying the voting materials to ensure they arrive at their destinations safely and on time, adding that officials of the commission are well equipped to handle any emergencies.

People living with disabilities, according to him, are adequately taken care of.

The chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Plateau State, Reverend Polycarp Lubo, and the Publicity Secretary of the Jamaat–ul–Nasru Islam (JNI), Alhaji Sani Mudi, urged voters to come out en masse to cast their votes for their preferred candidates, adding that if they fail to vote, they must not complain if a candidate against their wishes emerges.

They pointed out that although they have no political parties, they are just interested in who emerges to rule them after an election, adding that election violence, where loss of lives occurred in the past, should not be allowed to rear its ugly head again because they all need peace.