Saturday’s Re-Run: Useni Warns Plateau Govt Against Rigging

Senator Jeremiah Useni, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate in Plateau State has accused the state government of engaging in vote buying and widespread thumb printing of ballot papers during the last governorship election.

Useni, who made the allegation in Jos on Wednesday, also alleged that security men were caught intimidating his party supporters even though they had no business to do with the election.

“In one instance, I personally  went to Tudun Wada collation centre, freed voters who were made to lie down on the ground by some security men, just like civil servants and our traditional rulers were threatened to either deliver to APC or lose their jobs, or be dethroned,” he said.

According to the former Minister of Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Abuja, “what took place in his state during the last governorship election that was declared inconclusive by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), was that in some places, PDP supporters were not allowed to vote, or their votes torn to pieces.

“Many young men were recruited by the ruling party without any regard to their future well being. They even burnt up some ballot boxes.”

He further alleged that card readers were not used in several polling units, while in some, they were reported stolen.

According to him, the governorship election results in his state were declared without any regard to the choices of the people who voted, lamenting that elections had never been so bad in Nigeria in general and Plateau State in particular.

Useni said the reason they now had a re-run governorship election in nine out of 17 local governments in the state was because of the electorate malpractices, promising the people that he would stand by them and protect their votes in this Saturday’s supplementary election in the affected councils.

He warned that he would not accept rigging in this Saturday governorship re-run election, adding that after due consultation, he had decided to take specific legal steps to address areas of concern, which included a petition to INEC, which he hoped the electoral body would look into it as quickly as possible.

“I want to assure the people that I am still very must in the race. I will lead in the most responsible manner within one of four years if I win this Saturday re-run election in the state,” he added.

He stressed that he was sure of coasting to victory, adding that the whole governorship race in the state was about the soul of the Plateau, its heritage and its people, even as he called on the state’s stakeholders and supporters to stand taller and even stronger than before as they approach the election.

Useni said if he became the next governor of the state, he would probe the N20 billion released by the Federal Government to his state for rehabilitation of the Internally Displaced Persons (IDP), which he gathered was part of the money allegedly used for vote buying by the state government.