The rerun elections for the Plateau North
and Jos North/Bassa Federal House of Representatives seats began smoothly but
saw a notably low voter turnout. Despite the presence of voters at several
polling stations from 8 a.m., the number of participants remained sparse
throughout the morning, attributed partly to the chilly weather conditions.
It was noted that simultaneous
accreditation and voting processes were underway.
One significant factor for the diminished
interest was the absence of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on the ballot,
as decided by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), which
seemingly affected voter motivation.
In response to this situation, the PDP
leadership encouraged its followers to support Prince Pam Mwadkon Dachungyang
of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) for the Plateau North Senate seat, and
Hon. Daniel Asama of the Labour Party for the Jos North/Bassa Federal
Constituency.
This election rerun follows a November 2023
decision by the Appeal Court that annulled the victories of Simon Mwadkwon, the
former Senate minority leader, and Hon. Musa Agah, representing the Bassa/Jos
North Federal Constituency, citing organizational flaws. The court mandated
INEC to organize a rerun within 90 days, inviting all political entities to
participate, which led to surprise and confusion among PDP supporters when they
found the party's symbol missing from the ballot just before the election.
The engagement levels in this rerun were
markedly lower than in the general elections, which had seen higher voter
participation. Our reporter's visits to various polling units revealed a
general disinterest among the electorate, despite the timely arrival of voting
materials.
In locations such as Hill station Junction
2, Polling Unit-023, and Jenta Adamu registration area, Polling Unit 002,
election officials were seen accommodating the scant number of voters that
showed up. One early voter, choosing anonymity, mentioned being among fewer
than ten people present since 6 a.m.
A party representative shared optimism
about the day, stating that election materials were promptly distributed, and
voting started on time, hopeful for a peaceful and successful election outcome.
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