By Christiana Gokyo, Jos
The Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) House of Representatives and Senatorial Primaries Exercise Committee in Plateau State, Hon. Stella Okotete, has dismissed the alleged results of the Pankshin/Kanke/Kanam (PKK) Federal Constituency primary election earlier announced by one Monday Daspa, describing the declaration as fake and unauthorised.
Okotete spoke with journalists on Monday at the party secretariat in Jos, shortly after the conclusion of the primaries exercise.
She explained that the committee successfully conducted and concluded the primaries in line with the party’s guidelines and had already received reports from collation officers deployed to various federal constituencies across the state.
Reacting to controversies surrounding the PKK Federal Constituency results, Okotete clarified that the individual who announced the results was not recognised by the committee and had no authority to act as a returning officer.
“There was an announcement, especially from PKK, where someone was claiming to be a returning officer and reportedly fled the area. We do not know him. I have not seen that clip, and I do not think he has the authority to do that,” she said.
She declined to make further comments on the disputed results, insisting that only results officially in her possession would be recognised as authentic.
According to her, the authentic results for PKK and other Plateau constituencies would soon be made available to the press.
Okotete further stressed that only returning officers and collation officers officially approved by the committee were authorised to conduct and declare election results.
“The collation officers and team members approved by my committee, under my supervision, went out to conduct the exercise. They have done their job and reported back to me, and I am satisfied they carried out the exercise in line with the guidelines,” she stated.
Also speaking, the Returning Officer for the Pankshin/Kanke/Kanam Federal Constituency, Barr. Nandom Kura, described the results allegedly declared by Monday Daspa, said to be a collation officer from Mangu Local Government Area, as fake and unauthorised.
He called on the public to disregard reports circulating on social media claiming that Hon. Tongshinen had emerged winner of the primary election, insisting that such claims were false and not officially recognised by the committee.
Barr. Kura disclosed that results collated from the 36 wards in PKK showed that Hon. Yusuf Gagdi secured 29,207 votes out of the 31,150 votes cast in the constituency.
He maintained that he remained the only person constitutionally and officially assigned to declare the winner of the election.
In his reaction, Hon. Yusuf Gagdi also described the results circulating online as fake and not recognised by the collation officer and the committee.
He urged journalists and online bloggers to desist from spreading fake and unverified reports.
