Confusion and controversy marred the distribution of election materials for the Plateau North Senatorial District and Bassa/Jos North Federal Constituency re-run election scheduled for Saturday, February 3rd.
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) logo was conspicuously absent from the ballot papers, leading to protests from party supporters who demanded fairness from the electoral body, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC)
The re-run election follows the Court of Appeal’s nullification of the initial results, which saw PDP candidates Simon Mwadkwon and Musa Agah declared winners. The court ruled that the PDP’s nomination process was flawed, prompting fresh elections in both constituencies.
Reports have it that as INEC officials distributed voting materials on Wednesday at the premises of the Central Bank of Nigeria in Jos, the state capital, PDP supporters noticed the omission of their party’s logo on the ballots. This led to immediate protests, with PDP supporters accusing INEC of attempting to disenfranchise PDP voters and undermine the court’s ruling.
Adding to the tension, this incident came just a day after PDP members had staged a protest at the INEC headquarters, fearing their exclusion from the re-run.
The conspiracy is still working!