The People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Plateau Central Zone Forum (PCZF) has given the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) 72 hours to declare its candidate Amb. Yohanna Gotom winner of the senatorial election held on 25th February 2023.
The Forum also disclosed that should INEC fail to heed their request, they will be left with no option but to take every legal action to compel INEC to do so, warning that any attempt by a group of persons, individuals, or INEC to subvert the will of the people will be vehemently resisted.
The leader of the group and former speaker of Plateau state house of assembly Rt. Hon. Titus Alams made this known while addressing journalists at the premises of INEC state office Kufang in Jos on Wednesday.
According to him, after a careful study of the petition written by the senatorial agent of PDP, the following flaws were discovered which include mutilation of results, overvoting in 9 registration areas in Kanam LGA, nonusage of BVAS and casting errors in Mangu LGA among others.
Alarms further argued that INEC should as a matter of concern look into the issues raised by the PDP agent and its candidate and do the needful by announcing Amb. Yohanna Gotom was the lawful winner of the election.
The former speaker further pointed
out that justice delayed is justice denied adding that the silence by INEC should not by any means lead to the denial of the popular will of the people.
” It is our prayer that INEC being an Independent body should not allow itself to be coerced into compromising the position of the law”
He maintained that there were cases of “mutilation of results, over voting in 9 registration areas in Kanam LGA, Non-usage of BVAS in Kanam, and Casting errors in Mangu LGA.”
Alams stressed that “Any attempt by a group of persons, individuals or INEC to subvert the will of the people will be vehemently rejected. Our candidate Amb. G.Y Gotom who scored the highest number of votes cast during the election therefore should be announced the winner by the INEC within 72 hours or the electorates in the Central Zone will take every legal action to compel the INEC to do so.”
A PDP stalwart, General John Sura at the event said they were at the INEC Headquarters as a follow-up to the petition of the PDP through the party’s Agent to remind them of the need to declare the result of the election that is running into one month based on the substance contained in the petition.
The PDP Senatorial candidate of the PDP Amb. Gotom while responding to questions from Journalists at the INEC Headquarters said
“The entire collation of the results of Kanam LGA shows clear cases of overvoting in all the 14 Wards.
“The number of accredited voters in the 14 Wards from information in the BVAS is 49,092. The total votes cast on the day of the election as collated is 72,351. This means there is an over the voting of 23,479 votes! So, the vertical and horizontal line must be equal” he stated.
