Botched LG Election: Plateau Assembly Probes N600m Allocated To SIEC - Jang Wants Electoral Body Dissolved

Isaac Shobayo, Jos - 22.03.2008

THE dust over the sudden cancellation of last Saturday’s local government election in Plateau State is yet to settle, as the State House of Assembly has concluded arrangements to probe the State Electoral Commission over the way more than N600 million allocated for the botched election was spent.

Also, the state Governor, Jonah Jang, has written to the state House of Assembly urging it to sack the entire members of the commission on the grounds of incompetency.

Submitting its report on Thursday, the Chairman of the Special Committee set up by the House to investigate the aborted local government election, Hon. Istifanus Mwansat, said the election was designed to fail because the whole arrangements and the preparation for the election centred around the Chairman of the Commission, Mr. Jefferson Majei.

“ Based on our findings there was no adequate preparation for the election. The whole preparations revolved around just one man – that is the Chairman, Mr. Jefferson Majei, making it a one-man show.

“Security agencies were not fully mobilised for the exercise. Due process was not followed in the award of contracts for the supply of the basic needs for the election, especially for electoral materials. The electoral materials printed were below standard and specification, and were kept at the Air Force based in Jos instead of the Central Bank of Nigeria in Jos.”

He narrated that the findings of his Committee further revealed that the Chairman of the Commission operated like a sole administrator while adhoc staff were engaged and trained at the last hour to the election.

The Committee therefore recommended that the entire members of the commission should be sacked and another committee set up to probe the financial transaction of the commission, especially over the money allocated to it for the conduct of the election.

The Assembly therefore, fixed deliberation on the committee report to after Easter break next week. Governor Jonah Jang, in his letter, also urged the Assembly to dissolve the commission for the incompetence exhibited during the election, which led to the cancellation of the election and loss of colossal amount of money.

Reading the governor’s letter, the Speaker of the House Hon. Emmanuel Goa’r, said the governor solicited for the co-operation and understanding of the House in this regard, as his government was desirous of conducting free and fair election.

He implored the House to sack the entire members of the commission to pave the way for credible people. Meanwhile the Conference of Nigerian Political Parties and Action Congress Elders’ Forum in Plateau State have rejected the reasons given for the cancellation of the March 15 local government election and threatened Court action against the State Electoral Commission and the state government.

In a separate press conference in Jos, the CNPP Chairman, Alhaji Mohammed Kannam, and Chairman Plateau AC elders forum, Alhaji Yakubu Husseini, said it was fear of defeat that forced the PDP-led state government and the Commission to cancel the election without any cogent reason.