By Juliana Uzoka

The peaceful conduct of Plateau State Local Government elections was marred by the late arrival of voting materials by the Plateau State Independent Electoral Commission (PLASIEC), although the process eventually recorded orderliness, a positive development from previous elections that witnessed violence occasioned by ballot snatching and destruction of voting materials.

The PLASIEC Chairman, Plangji Cishak had in a pre-election briefing to journalists on Tuesday, 8 October said a level playing field was provided for the 11 political parties in the state that participated in the LGA elections. Cishak assured that no political party was” outrightly disqualified.”

The PLASIEC Chairman had also in his statement, applauded the State Governor, Caleb Mutfwang for not interfering in the electoral process.

He attributed his ability to conduct a peaceful and credible elections to his previous position as an Independent National Electoral Commission staff.

The Governor of Plateau State Caleb Mutfwang expressed confidence that the local government elections will be successfully concluded despite initial delays in the process.

Speaking after casting his vote in his home town, Pushik 1 polling unit in  Ampang West, Mangu Local Government Area at about  9:15am, the governor acknowledged reports of late arrival of PLASIEC staff at some polling units, but assured the public that necessary measures have been taken to address the situation.

“The smoothness of this electionhas taught me that we must remain adaptable regarding technological platforms for the elections. Accreditation is critical to the integrity of any election. Once it is done seamlessly, and people are confident that their votes will count, our electoral process will continue to grow with integrity,” Governor Mutfwang said.

Likewise, the State Deputy Governor, Ngo Josephine Piyo, cast her vote at polling unit 006 in Lwa, Riyom Local Government Area. Speaking to journalists after casting her vote, Piyo commended PLASIEC for what she described as an improved electoral process.

She praised the smooth conduct of the polls and the large voter turnout.

Earlier, some voters at Rock Haven polling unit 052, decried the late arrival of PLASIEC staff who they claimed had arrived earlier at noon with incomplete voting materials, which fell far below the number of registered voters, amidst the disagreement, the staff returned to their office to log the complain but eventually arrived at about some minutes past 4pm, less than one hour to the adjusted closing time by PLASIEC.

Reacting to the delays of PLASIEC officials, Braimoh Jimoh, a resident of Rock Haven said at about 4:06 pm the officials arrived and he was the second to cast his vote.

“This is precisely 4:31pm and the voting process was hugely delayed, although they apologized for coming late.” He added that the voting process was conducted manually and not aware of the use of the Voters Verification System.

Also, a resident at the Rock Haven polling unit 052 Hwelleng Y.D Nyam, former PDP candidate for the 2021 local government elections said the electoral process was peaceful and well coordinated. He commended residents for their patience.

“These people are very patient, since in the morning, we came, waiting for them to arrive,” he said. He noted that accreditation was supposed to have commenced by 8am but got delayed until past 4 pm. The total voter register is above 1700 but the officials came with about 400. The people complained, he said, which necessitated that the officials corrected the error from their office by supplementing the initial number to reflect the accurate figure.

Meanwhile, PLASIEC announced an extension of voting hours across the state due to the delays caused by the late arrival of voting materials in some polling units.

The extension which adds two hours to the original voting time, was deemed necessary to ensure all eligible voters can participate. The Commission’s media head, Koro Yakubu assured the public that the commission played a vital role in ensuring that the technical issues with the voter accreditation software was resolved, adding that manual registers were used to ensure voting processes was not interrupted.

Additionally, Governor Caleb Mutfwang declared Thursday, October 10, 2024, a public holiday for citizens who traveled for the elections to return safely. He thanked Plateau residents for their peaceful conduct during the elections and encouraged them to uphold peace as the process concludes.

Security personnel were seen ensuring orderliness at various polling units as citizens turned out to vote, despite the light showers which came towards late afternoon.

The Plateau State government remains hopeful that the elections will conclude smoothly, with final results expected to be announced within the stipulated time frame.

The local government elections have seen participation from 11 political parties, with hopes of victory for their candidates across the 17 local government areas of the state.