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PDP vows to secure Nasarawa LG polls

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2 years ago

July 3, 2022

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The Peoples’ Democratic Party, PDP, in Nasarawa State, has vowed to shun the May 26, local government elections in the state to avoid security breaches.

The Chairman of the Party in the state, Francis Orogu stated this yesterday in Lafia when he received in audience PDP’s North Central officials of the party, led by its Vice Chairman, Theophilus Shan.

Orogu said PDP pulled out of the race because they were fully aware of the plan by the ruling APC in the state to rig the elections.

The chairman informed the visitors that with PDP still having huge support in some parts of the state, rigging would lead to breakdown of law and order during and after the polls; especially in those places where PDP had huge support.

Orogu explained that as responsible citizens, it was the best decision taken in the interest of the public to safeguard lives and property.

Orogu said, “Nasarawa government is unwilling to give space for democratic processes to be entrenched at the local government level; they kick-started the process of the elections without contacting political parties.

“The state government recently sent a bill to the assembly discarding one of the amendments to the electoral law stipulating that results of elections should be announced at the polling units and wards. We are confident that if we go into the elections, we will win.

“But of what benefit is it to go and participate, defeat your opponent and at the end of the day somebody will sit in Lafia and announce a different result? Such outcome will not go down well with many people. So security is our biggest concern.”

Orogu added that instead of participating in “illegality”, the party would rather work assiduously towards winning back the state in 2019 where according to him, the party would have a better chance of experiencing free and fair exercise.

Responding, the PDP National Vice Chairman, North Central, Theophilus Shan, thanked the Nasarawa party officials for receiving them and assured that the national secretariat of the party strongly supported their decision to boycott the LG polls.