Follow Us on Google
Romanus Ugwu, Abuja and Gyang Bere, Jos
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Plateau State has declared Dimka Hezekiah Ayuba, candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as winner of Plateau central Senatorial District election.
Ayuba, a former police commissioner polled 149,457 to defeat Paradang David Shikfu, a former controller of Nigeria Immigration Service and candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), who scored 145,048 votes.
INEC’s Director of Voter Education and Publicity, Mr. Osaratin Imahiyereobo, in a press statement, yesterday, said the Plateau south senatorial election was declared inconclusive, while results for Plateau north senatorial district election has not been declared.
Meanwhile, Plateau State governorship candidate of the PDP, Gen. Jeremiah Useni (retd), has led all PDP senatorial and House of Representatives candidates for a peaceful protect to the INEC Headquarters in Jos, the state capital.
Useni, who is the current senator representing Plateau south and the state PDP Chairman, Damishi Sango, rejected the result for Plateau central senatorial election and described it as a coup on democracy.
The duo called on INEC to release the result of Plateau north senatorial election with immediate effect, and conduct a rerun for Plateau central to avoid political war in the state. Also, the Plateau State Local Government Election Appeal Tribunal, sitting in Jos, has ordered the hearing of the petition of Ubandoma Joshua Laven of the PDP based on the merit of the case.
Chairman of the appellate tribunal, Justice Arum Ashom, gave the order in a judgement in the appeal of Ubandoma Joshua Laven and PDP against Kwarnim Nanloh of the APC and the Plateau State INEC.
They asked the appeal tribunal to determine whether they were heard on merit, if they were giving rights to fair hearing when the tribunal refused to use the two sets of results of the election presented before it, and if the date for the declaration of the results were not wrongly calculated
Deciding on the four issues raised, the appeal tribunal said there was miscarriage of justice by the lower tribunal.
It also set aside the ruling of the tribunal on January 14, 2019, that dismissed the petition. Consequently, the appeal tribunal ordered the petition to be returned to the trial tribunal to be heard, base on merit.
Reacting, Laven described the judgement as victory for the good people of Langtang north local government council, adding that judiciary is the last hope for the common man in the country.
In another development the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) governorship candidate for Zamfara State, Sani Abdulahi Shinkafi, has demanded immediate removal of the state’s Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Asmau’ Sani Maikudi, alleging bias and fraudulent practices.
He also called for the removal of the state Commissioner of Police for allegedly colluding with representatives of other parties to commit electoral fraud in favor of the APC.
