In a surprising turn of events, the upcoming rerun election in Plateau State, scheduled for the first week of February, may witness the absence of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) from the ballot, according to recent developments.
The February 3rd Rerun elections which will be taking place only in one senatorial district, Plateau North, the entire state have been anxious over the political parties that will be eligible for the rerun elections given that the political parties, their candidates and the voters have been left in the dark over the rerun on participating parties.
Recall that a lot of claims and counterclaims have been flying around concerning the fate of the People’s Democratic in the February 3 rerun in Plateau State. The election management body, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), which is expected to give the true position of things regarding the contestants did not come out to clear the uncertainty.
Dr. Tarsoo Agungu, the Plateau State Resident Electoral Commissioner, previously stated that INEC is awaiting instructions from the national headquarters in Abuja regarding the list of candidates for the rerun. He emphasized that all candidates who contested in the last general election in Jos North are eligible, pending confirmation from INEC headquarters.
However, recent reports from sources close to the matter suggest that the PDP may have been excluded from the ballots following the arrival of ballot papers and candidate lists from INEC headquarters in Abuja.
The controversy stems from a previous ruling by the Court of Appeal in Abuja, which overturned the victory of Senate Minority Leader Simon Mwadkwon of the PDP in the February 25, 2023, senatorial election in the Plateau North Senatorial District. The court ordered INEC to conduct a fresh election within 90 days.
The appellants, Chris Giwa of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and Gyang Zi of the Labour Party (LP), challenged Mwadkwon’s victory, arguing that the PDP did not have the structure to nominate him due to non-compliance with a previous court order.
With less than 6 days to go until the rerun, news of the potential exclusion of the PDP comes as a significant blow, considering the party’s ongoing preparations and campaign efforts.