Cheke Emmanuel 
The main opposition party, the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in Nasarawa State on Friday announced that it will not be participating in the Local Government elections scheduled for November 2.
The party in a communique issued at the end of its State Executive Committee (SEC) meeting in Lafia, the state capital said it decision is based on the inability of the ruling APC and it’s electorial body to substantially give reasons to justify such amount.
According to the communique signed by the Secretary of the party, Hon. Adamu Bako Ninga, Secretary and
Hon. Mohammed Hamza declared that it will not participate in the forthcoming Local Government as they questioned why the state electoral umpire pegged N1.5m as nomination forms during this harsh economic condition, describing the amount as outrageous.
“Asking our people to pay N1.5m fixed by NASIEC as cost of candidate’s registration is not the issue, but the contending issue here is that the process is a clear indication that the APC led government is insensitive to the effect of the economic hardship on people as well as to bar common man from participation in the Local Government election.
“We are boycotting the forthcoming Local councils elections in Nasarawa state because NASIEC didn’t give the opposition parties substantial reasons to build confidence on the credibility, assurance of fairness and equity”, the Communique alleges.
The State Executive Committee (SEC) Meeting which was held in the attendance with majority of members after an intensive deliberations on key issues of the moments, unanimously agreed that the inability of the Nasarawa State government to amend the State Electoral Bill to allow the announcement of election results of councillorship positions at the Ward level and that of the chairmanship at the Local Government headquarters respectively a pointer to elections manipulation, avenue for rigging.
“Since this has not been done, it then mean that it’s going to be business as usual for the APC to ambush other political parties with unimaginable electoral frauds.
“Therefore, PDP cannot afford to waste her precious time, energy nor cheaply allow the innocent commoners to waste their energy and resources going into election that the results and the winners are already scripted. PDP had last election raised this kind of observation where the governor promised fair, just and credible election but turned around with NASIEC to do something else.
” Importantly too, the meeting unanimously named the state party Secretariat Complex along Jos Road Lafia Nasarawa State capital after it pioneer chairman, Amb. Polycap Azige”.
According to the party, the adoption of the resolution was done after the chairman presented as the wise counsel of the State Working Committee (SWC) followed by a motion moved by a member and seconded without a descending voice.
“This spectacular gesture was aimed at dispensing the principle of reward system towards keeping legacy of good work of past leaders. Late Amb. Polycap Azige was the premier chairman who rise from an interim chairman to a substantial chairman of PDP in the state”, the Communique added.
“The foundation of the Secretariat Complex was laid during his tenure while, His Excellency, Dr. Abdullahi Adamu was the PDP Executive Governor of Nasarawa State.
The SEC unanimously passed a vote of confidence on the leadership of the Hon. Francis Orogu led State Working Committee (SWC) in the face of the grate strides in achieving 98% consensus option in the ongoing Party Congresses in the state and the enabling ground provided by the leadership as promised for all desirous aspirants to strive in their quest towards actualization of their respective dreams.
“We are PDP, we are stronger together. We are one big family under the umbrella party PDP working towards achieving one purposeful goal and vision of PDP First, PDP Always”, the party said.
