Gyang Bere, Jos
Chairman of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in Plateau State and former Minister of Sports, Damishi Sango, has accused Governor Simon Lalong and the All Progressives Congress (APC) of plotting to rig Saturday’s governorship and State Assembly elections.
He alleged that the APC has concluded plans to use military officers to humiliate, harrasss and cause fear in the minds of voters so they will not turn out for the elections.
Sango, who said this yesterday, during a press briefing at the PDP Secretariat in Jos, added that the party had uncovered places where the APC was thumbprinting ballot papers in the state.
“Intelligence reports available to us indicate that the ruling APC and it’s governorship candidate, Governor Simon Lalong, are busy working on plans to rig the elections. They have kept themselves busy in the last one week at the old Government House, Rayfield, perfecting their rigging strategies.
“As I address you, we’ve detailed information on the specific local government areas and locations in the central zone, where they intend to execute their wicked plans.
“These include outright use of already thumbprinted ballot papers, intimidation and harassment of voters at both polling points and collation centres, collusion with electoral and security agents to cause the late arrival of election materials and deliberate tempering with voting machines.”
Sango alleged that the APC had concluded plans to delay result from Wase, Kanam and Jos North Local Government Areas with a view to manipulating the result in their favour.
He also alleged that military officers have been deployed in the southern zone of the state to cause fear among the people, especially in Shendam and Quan’pan Local Government Areas.
Reacting to PDP allegations, the Deputy Chairman, Media, Publicity and Protocol Committee of the APC Campaign Council in Plateau State, Barrister Festus Fuanter, described the allegations as the ranting of a political party that is nursing defeat.
He accused the PDP of wanting to cause distraction for the APC, adding that all their allegations were shallow and depicted a ranting of a political party that has derailed and lack focus.
“If PDP has information that depicted that ballot papers are being thumpprinted in Government House, ahead of Saturday ‘s governorship election, it should approach the security agencies and INEC, instead of dissipating its energy on frivolous allegation that it can not substantiate. All these go to show that the party has lost focus.
“APC is a disciplinesdparty and the governorship candidate of the party governor Simon Lalong, is a discipline man and a democrat to the core. And he would not want to do anything that would tarnish his image or derail democracy.”