INEC: Rerun Elections Hold Today, Parties Denounce Attempt to Boycott Polls in Plateau
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The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has stressed that contrary to rumours making the rounds on social media, the rerun elections scheduled to take place in Plateau and other affected states today would will be held.
INEC’s Head of Department, Voter Education & Publicity Department, Plateau State, Egwurube Otokpa, said the clarification became imperative after fake news circulating on social media claimed that the election in the state had been postponed.
He said: "The attention of Plateau INEC Head Office has been drawn to a so-called Breaking News circulating on the social media claiming the re-run Senate/House of Representative elections scheduled for tomorrow (today), February 3rd has been postponed until further notice because of the absence of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) on the ballot.
"The Plateau INEC wishes to inform the public that contrary to the so-called breaking news, it has concluded all preparations for the conduct of the election tomorrow.
"We also wish to inform the public that the Nigeria Police, as the lead security agency, has given us assurance that it has made all arrangements to secure the election, along with all the sister security agencies."
The electoral body urged members of the general public to troop out peacefully in their numbers tomorrow to cast their votes.
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) had on 29th January, 2024, lost its bid to get INEC to include her on the ballot as Justice Emeka Nwite of the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja struck out its application for lack of jurisdiction.
However, in solidarity with the PDP, the Inter- Party Advisory Council (IPAC) in Plateau State had consequently announced a boycott of today's rerun election for the vacant seats of Jos North/ Bassa Federal Constituency and Plateau North Senatorial District.
Responding to the press conference by Plateau IPAC, the national body of the council dissociated itself from the purported boycott of the rerun elections in Plateau state.