A Coalition of All PDP Support Groups in Plateau Central Zone has called for the interrogation of Dr. Jimam Lar, the Returning Officer for the Plateau Central Zone Senatorial election, who re-collated the results and declared Diket Plang as Senator-elect for the Senatorial District.

Leader of the Coalition, Hon. Gengwe Wushangka made the call on Monday during a press briefing, held at the PDP State Secretariat, Jos.

“We are here today to express our total displeasure over the shameful declaration of one Diket Plang of the All Progressives Congress APC as Senator-elect for Plateau Central Senatorial District on the 15th of April 2023 in Pankshin.

“We as a people, a party, and a concerned group in defence of democracy, fairness, and justice, have outrightly rejected the shameful declaration made by one purported INEC Returning Officer of the Plateau Central Senatorial District in favour of the candidate of the All Progressive Congress (APC) as the said winner of the election.”

Wushangka explained that the processes leading to the “purported declaration” was not duly followed in line with the Electoral Guidelines and the Electoral Act which led to the sudden emergence of an unknown INEC Returning Officer for the Senatorial District who they feel impersonated the position of the accredited Returning Officer in the person of Prof Bulus Dabi who earlier on agreed to complete what he earlier started as the original accredited INEC Returning Officer.

“We hereby call for the immediate arrest and prosecution of Dr Timchang Jimmam Lar a lecturer with the Department of History and International Studies University of Jos who declared the so-called winner of the election for impersonation.”

He said the warlike deployment of security personnel to the venue and the Local Government capital of Pankshin LGA on the day of the supposed “review, sorting, collation, and declaration of the winner of the election in the Person of Mr GY Gotom,” cast suspicion on the minds of the people of Plateau Central that the outcome had been premeditated and predetermined to declare the “loser in the election as the winner.”

Wushangka maintained that the Central Zone is known to be the heartbeat of Plateau politics with unflinching support for the PDP since 1999, adding It is worthy to note that one LGA has been the clog in the wheel of political progress of the Central Zone since 2019 up to date.