Plateau: Gladiators Induce Voters With Promises Of Appointments, Contracts

SOME public affairs watchers believe with the results of the governorship elections released so far, Governor Simon Bako

Lalong might carry the day, as the margin between APC and PDP is wide- APC has 583,255 votes as against PDP’S 538,326.

Ahead of the election, some political gladiators had planned to buy votes, with others making promises of appointments, completion of projects, awards of new contracts and other inducements to sway voters.

And to maintain their strongholds, they embarked on door-to-door campaigns, mobilising those with PVCS to come out and vote to starve off voter apathy and lethargy. In Jos North-west, a former speaker of the state assembly, now a floor member, Peter Azi of APC, who lost out to PDP’S Dusu Esther Simi, worked hard to ensure victory for his party, ostensibly with the hope of been compensated with political appointment.

The influence of PDP’S House of Representatives candidate in the March 23 election, Jonathan Dabo, and his APC counterpart, Haruna Maitala, who eventually won the seat for Jos North/bassa Federal Constituency, impact on the elections, would impact today’s election.

Mangu Ward One, where the former secretary to the state government (SSG) during Senator Jonah Jang’s tenure as governor, Prof. Shedrack Best, comes from, would be interesting, as he would be fighting tooth and nail to ensure victory for PDP.

A voter, John James, said: “I feel INEC is not ready for our votes to count, because it is not all the polling units in the ward that had problems. INEC has developed this idea that when there is a problem at a polling unit, it will issue an order that the elections in the whole ward be cancelled. “Inconclusive election is foreign to us as Nigerians. There is nothing inconclusive in Nigerian constitution; it is only an appendage. To me, it is a mixed feeling. There is nothing to celebrate.”