The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has said that the gubernatorial election in Plateau State was declared inconclusive, following the inability of the All Progressives Congress (APC) to get a lead margin higher than the number of cancelled votes.
The Commission, through its Returning Officer of Plateau Gubernatorial election, Professor Richard Anande after the collation of the Gubernatorial election results in Jos on Sunday, said that the lead margin between the two major parties – APC and PDP is 44, 929 which is 4, 448 lower than the cancelled votes of 49, 377.
The results displayed and announced by the INEC in the state have shown that Governor Simon Lalong of APC had 583,255 votes while Jeremiah Useni of PDP polled 538,326 votes.
Prof. Anande explained that the cancellation was as a result of over voting and non-use of Smart Card Readers in some local government areas where elections held.
During the collation on Sunday, Daily Trust gathered that about nine local government areas with a total of 20 registration areas and 41 polling units were affected.
The local government areas affected included; Mangu, Barkin Ladi, Bassa, Jos North and Bokkos.
Others are, Kanam, Langtang South, Pankshin and Shendam.
The local government area with the highest number of cancelled votes is Mangu which has about 26,135 cancelled votes across three registration areas.
About 4, 157 votes in Jos North, 2, 627 in Kanam, 570 in Barkin Ladi, 3, 078 in Bassa and 5, 314 votes in Bokkos were also cancelled.
Similarly, 1, 144, 5, 501 and 851 votes were cancelled in Pankshin, Langtang South and Governor Lalong’s home LG Shendam respectively.
Prof. Anande further said the law guiding the election spelt out clearly that in a situation where the cancelled votes are more than the lead margin that election would be declared inconclusive.
He said: “And here in this election, the cancelled votes are more than the lead margin, therefore this election is declared inconclusive and the supplementary elections in the affected areas would hold within 21 days counting from today (yesterday).”
