The Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC) in Plateau State has issued a stern warning in response to the alleged exclusion of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) from the forthcoming rerun elections on February 3rd. Abubakar Dogara, the council’s chairman, emphasized that “it is either PDP participates in the election or all parties will not take part because the Court of Appeal said all political parties should participate in the election.”
Expressing concern over the sudden development, Dogara stated, “The position of IPAC is that it is either PDP participates in the election or all parties will not take part because the Court of Appeal said all political parties should participate in the election.
“We noticed that one of us is not on the ballot papers and, therefore, we sat down and agreed that an injury to one is an injury to all, therefore, if PDP is not participating, no political party will participate”, he maintained.
According to Dogara, “We were not informed that one of us will not be part of the election, we were told that the list of parties that will take part in the election will be forwarded to us within a week, that was on the 9th of January but we never got that list till now, just two days to the election.
Highlighting the gravity of the situation, Dogara underscored the importance of peace over electoral processes, stating, “We prefer peace on the Plateau rather than elections or anything,” emphasizing the fragile nature of peace in the region.
Meanwhile, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) disclosed that the PDP would be excluded from the rerun election in Plateau Northern Senatorial zone. Mohammed Haruna, the INEC National Commissioner overseeing the North-Central geopolitical zone, made this announcement during an inspection of sensitive materials for the impending election in Jos, the State Capital, on Thursday.
As uncertainty looms over the rerun election, stakeholders await further developments amidst the standoff between INEC, the PDP, and other political parties.
Credit: Agabus