- The Court of Appeal had based the nullification of their elections on the ground that the PDP which nominated them as candidates had no structure.
- In compliance with the Court of Appeal decision, INEC announced February 3rd 2024 as the date for the rerun.
In preparation for Saturday’s rerun election, the Independent National Electoral Commission started distributing sensitive election materials in the six Local Government Areas of Plateau state on Thursday.
Election materials were distributed on the grounds of the Central Bank of Nigeria in Jos, the state capital.
Journalists, security guards, observers, and officials of political parties were present when the distribution was made.
But as soon as the materials were being distributed, it became apparent that although the APC, PRP, and LP logos were there on the ballot, the PDP logo was missing from the ballot paper.
The development has caused tension in the area as members of the PDP who gathered to witness the distribution of the election materials were seen protesting the non-inclusion of their party while accusing INEC of acting against the Court of Appeal judgement which said that all parties shall contest in the re-run
Members of the Peoples Democratic Party and their supporters in Plateau state had on Wednesday staged a protest at the headquarters of the Independent National Electoral Commission in Jos over an alleged exclusion of the party in the forthcoming re-run election scheduled for February 3, 2023, but officials of the electoral body had assured them that the issue would be taken care of.
The protesters demanded evidence of the inclusion of the PDP on the ballot for Plateau North Senatorial District and Bassa/Jos North Federal Constituency where the re-rerun would take place on Saturday.
Prior to the protests, there had been rumours that the PDP and its candidates will not participate in the re-rerun poll following the Court of Appeal judgement which nullified the elections in the two constituencies earlier won by the party’s candidates -Senator Simon Mwadkwon for Plateau North and Musa Agah, for Jos North/Bassa Federal Constituency.
The Court of Appeal had based the nullification of their elections on the ground that the PDP which nominated them as candidates had no structure.
Agah and Mwadkwon were declared by INEC during the 2023 b winners of the February 2023 National Assembly Elections for Plateau North Senatorial District and Bassa/Jos North Federal Constituency, but
The petitions against the PDP and its candidates which succeeded at the Appeal court were filed by LP’s Plateau North Senatorial Candidates, Gyang Zi and PRP’s Bassa/Jos North Federal Constituency Candidate Mohammad Adam Alkali and a rerun elections were ordered in the two constituencies by the Appellate court
In compliance with the Court of Appeal decision, INEC announced February 3rd 2024 as the date for the rerun.