Plateau electoral commission reviews 2024 LG poll, pledges improvement

The Chairman of the Plateau State Independent Electoral Commission, Plangji Cishak, has assured stakeholders of the commission’s commitment to conducting free, fair, and credible elections during the next Local Government polls in 2027.

Cishak gave the assurance during a post-election review meeting held on Wednesday in Jos, the state capital, with stakeholders, including political party leaders, civil society organisations, and media representatives.

The last Local Government election in Plateau State was conducted across the 17 LGAs on October 9, 2024.

Cishak disclosed that PLASIEC had already begun preparations for the 2027 LG polls and expressed the commission’s readiness to improve the management of election results to enhance the integrity of the electoral process and bolster voter confidence.

He said, “As a commission, we would like to hear your experiences in the field and chart the way forward. We have done our part in the recently conducted LG elections across the state.

“When we assumed office, we found a dilapidated institution and faced many challenges, but we resolved to operate above board. In election management, no one takes all the credit. We did not want to work in secrecy, even when we anticipated distractions.

“Under the law used for the LG elections, we had provisions to revert to a manual voting method if the electronic system malfunctioned, which was what happened during the last poll.

“We have already started working on procuring our own electronic voting devices to avoid such hitches. You won’t encounter those issues during the next election. We are committed to leaving PLASIEC in a better state than we met it.

The Secretary to the State Government, Samuel Jatau, praised the commission’s performance, saying, “This set of PLASIEC officials has made Plateau State proud. The 2024 LG elections came and went peacefully. We can now move freely in Jos North and other areas because the elections were free and fair. I must commend them for a job well done.”

Stakeholders at the meeting acknowledged that while the 2024 LG polls had some challenges, including malfunctioning electronic devices, a shortage of election materials, and late arrival of officials, they expressed optimism that PLASIEC’s determination to address these issues would ensure the 2027 elections run smoothly.

They also called for the cooperation of prospective voters to enable the commission to fulfil its mandate successfully.