The crisis in the All Progressives Congress deepened further on Thursday as the Plateau State chapter announced it will boycott the Local Government re-run elections scheduled for Saturday, October 19, 2024.
In a statement he issued Thursday, the State Publicity Secretary, Shittu Bamaiyi, said the party had directed its supporters not to participate in the exercise.
Here are excerpts from the statement: “The party has resolved that, since PLASIEC and its paymaster, the Plateau State Government, have no respect for the will and choice of the people, nor for the tenets of democracy, there is no reason for the APC to recognise or revalidate this illegality, under any guise.
“It is both ridiculous and scandalous that the same PLASIEC, which shockingly described the local government elections as transparent, free, and fair, could now call for re-run elections in selected electoral wards of the state.
“In fact, it would have been more appropriate if the entire elections had been nullified based on the well-established and genuine complaints arising from the conduct of the elections by some political parties other than the PDP.
“It would be foolhardy, a waste of resources, and a security risk for the APC to expose its supporters to the so-called re-run, as it will likely be a repeat of what transpired last Wednesday.
“There are instances where some candidates were declared winners by PLASIEC but were not issued certificates of return, thereby preventing them from being sworn in, simply because they are members of the APC.”
The party, therefore, urged its councillorship candidates and supporters in the affected electoral wards, where the re-run is expected to take place, to disregard PLASIEC’s directives.
“While commending the people of the state, particularly its teeming supporters, for clearly showing the PDP-led government their political direction, the APC appeals to them to remain calm and peaceful in the face of provocation,” the statement added.
