The Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC) has clarified the reason behind the People’s Democratic Party’s (PDP) absence from the upcoming re-run elections in Plateau State, particularly in the northern region.
In a statement released on Friday, IPAC’s National Publicity Secretary, Chinyere Oge-Kalu, distanced the national body from a recent press conference by its Plateau State chapter, which criticised the exclusion of the PDP.
Oge-Kalu said the action by the Plateau chapter does not reflect IPAC’s national position. She explained that during a meeting held in Abuja on December 18th, 2024, all political parties, including the PDP, were informed about a court ruling preventing their participation in the Plateau re-run. According to him, the decision, aimed at ensuring a fair electoral process, was unanimously agreed upon by all parties present.
She said, “While the court judgement is already being challenged by the concerned political party, it is unwise for any individual or group of individuals under any guise to embark on any course of action capable of inciting violence or derailing the fragile peace in Plateau State.
“Therefore, the action of the Plateau State chapter is misguided as it is not a representation of the outcome of the consultative stakeholders’ meeting held by INEC with the leadership of all political parties on the 18th December 2024 at the INEC headquarters in Abuja.
“The leadership of the Council in Plateau State is hereby cautioned, hence admonished to operate within the ambit of the Code of Conduct as matters of this nature is exclusively within the purview of the National.
“All stakeholders in Plateau State and other States where the rerun elections will be taking place are enjoined to eschew violence and go out peacefully to exercise their franchise by electing credible individuals that will best serve their collective interest.”
