A poor turnout of voters has been observed in most polling units in Plateau as the state holds elections into its local government councils. The elections are holding in 14 out of the 17 local governments with Jos North, Jos South, Riyom and Barkin-Ladi left out. Governor Simon Lalong had hinged the decision to leave out the four local governments on “prevailing security situation’’.
Reports from some polling units in Pankshin, Mangu, Bassa, Langtang North, Langtang South and Shendam local governments, observed that the voter turnout was very low. At Youth Centre polling unit in Pankshin central, NAN found less than 10 prospective voters on the queue as at 11.10 a.m.
The situation was the same in the two polling units of Nerr in Pankshin, where NAN met less than a combined total of 12 voters milling around and waiting for the electoral officers. It was also found that there was tension in six wards in Pankshin following claims that the electoral officers brought duplicate copies of results sheets. The wards included Dopkai, Kangmun, Jibilik, Jibam, Kagu ang Jing.
MrGodwin Nanchin, PDP Organising Secretary in Pankshin Local Government, told NAN that the ploy was to enter results in the duplicate sheets to deceive the electorate at the polling units.
“The results they want will then be entered in the original sheets and announced as authentic,” he said, and vowed that his party would resist such move. But MrJerry Audu, PLASIEC’s Assistant Electoral Officer in Pankshin, said that the distribution of the duplicate copies of the results sheets was not deliberate.
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