The postponement of the proposed local government polls in Plateau state by the State’s Independent Electoral Commission (PLASIEC), earlier slated for Saturday 17th February, 2018 to a yet to be announced date on the pretext of security, was a sheer face saving antic by the Lalong led APC administration in the state from the imminent defeat that awaits the party at the polls; Mr. Dennis Yillah has observed.

In a press statement signed by the Director Yillah foundation, Mr. Dennis Danladi Yillah, and made available to newsmen in Jos, the philanthropist maintained that the postponement was widely predicted from the body language of the electoral body, which showed lack of preparedness to entrench democratic governance at the grassroots.

” We have it on good authority that a team of researchers headed by a professor, commissioned by the APC administration in Plateau state to investigate the possibility of the party winning substantially in the scheduled local government polls, churned out a damning report that indicated APC will win in only 3 LGAs, while the remaining 14 were certain to be swept by the opposition PDP” The statement is quoted as saying.

It is rather self-contradictory for an administration that counts the return of peace as its greatest achievement since coming on board, to now renege on its promise to conduct the local government polls in the state on the pretext of security concerns, the statement posited.

“Despite spending hundreds of millions of taxpayers resources to stage concerts and carnivals to celebrate the return of peace in Plateau state, it amounts to chewing one’s words, and an affront on the intelligence of Plateau citizens for the government to now turn around and suspend the election, citing security reports as the basis. We all know that one area the citizens cannot demand further explanation to is when security is cited as the reason, hence the government chose to tow that uncharitable path as a plausible excuse”, the statement further averred.

With this development, it is either the government has come to the regrettable admission that the most talked about peace being restored in the state by the Lalong administration was a lie, or the reason being cited for the postponement of the election is farther from the truth. Either ways, the government has displayed high level of insincerity in its dealings with the citizens, which is a breach of its cardinal duty to the electorate.

We demand the immediate sacking of PLASIEC Chairman, Mr. Fabian Ntung for showing gross incompetence in the discharge of his duty. This is because prior to his announcement of the postponement, there was nothing on ground by the electoral body to show any sign of seriousness to exercise its function. We are aware of the provisions of the electoral law that provides for the display of voters register 30 days before the scheduled date, but less than two weeks to the proposed date, the electoral body had not fulfilled this condition precedent, only for the commission to come out shamelessly telling Plateau people that it was ready for the exercise before it received security reports that showed the peaceful conduct of the polls was improbable.

The only way Plateau people will restore their confidence in the electoral body to serve as an unbiased umpire in the local government polls is by replacing the PLASIEC Chairman with an untainted personality before the next scheduled date to superintendent the exercise.

It is most regrettable that the blatant falsehood of insecurity in Plateau state is emanating from government sources, thereby heightening the fears of investors from coming to invest in the state.

It is counter-productive for the same government that globetrots in search of foreign investors to turn around and postpone election citing security concerns. How will such investors be confident to come and invest in Plateau since the government of the state itself is confirmimg that the security of lives and investments cannot be guaranteed?

Such reasons can only give foreign media grounds to further portray the Plateau as a battlefield, having I’m mind the previous bloothbaths that were recorded in the state.

This is a great disservice to my beloved Plateau state, which the governor must apologize for with immediate effect.

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POSTPONEMENT OF PLATEAU LG POLLS: CUTTING THE NOSE TO SPITE THE FACE – DENNIS YILLAH