In a bid to secure victory in the upcoming national assembly by-election, the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Plateau State convened a crucial stakeholders meeting Wednesday.
The gathering, held at the APC secretariat in Jos, saw party leaders and key members strategising on effective campaign approaches and mobilization efforts.
The Appeal Court sitting in Abuja sometime in November 2023, nullified the elections of former Senate minority leader, Simon Mwadkwon and member representing Bassa/Jos North Federal Constituency all of the People’s Democratic Party, on the ground of non-party structure.
The Appellate Court also ordered INEC to conduct rerun elections within 90 days directing all parties to participate.
During a press conference earlier in the month to mark the commencement of activities for the bye-election, Oliver Agundu the INEC resident electoral commissioner in charge of Plateau state, said the election would be conducted in six local government areas of Plateau North.
These include Barkin Ladi, Bassa, Jos East, Jos North, Jos South, and Riyom, which together have 73 Registration Areas (RAs) and 2,266 Polling Units (PUs), with a total of 1,234,761 registered voters. Out of these, 1,167,001 have collected their Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs).
Agundu added that the Jos North/Bassa Federal Constituency within the same Plateau North senatorial district consists of two local government areas of Jos North and Bassa with 30 registration areas (RAs) and 1,209 polling units (PUs), totaling 647,409 registered voters with a PVC collection of 614,956.
He solicited media support to ensure fair reportage and timely information on public responsibilities in ensuring a transparent, fair, and inclusive election.
During the meeting, the APC emphasized the significance of the by-election and outlined plans to unite party members, fostering a collaborative environment for a successful electoral outing
Various issues, including grassroots engagement, and public outreach, were discussed to ensure a comprehensive strategy for the forthcoming polls.
Prominent party figures, including the immediate past governor of Plateau state and senator representing Plateau South Senatorial district Simon Lalong, the Part’s gubernatorial flag bearer in the 2023 election, Nentawe YIlwada, local government representatives and state executives of the party among others, addressed the attendees, expressing optimism and commitment to achieving victory.
The focus was on consolidating support from diverse constituencies, addressing voter concerns, and highlighting the party’s agenda for positive change.
Speaking at the stakeholders meeting, Senator Lalong said he was optimistic that the APC will clinch both the Senatorial and house of assembly by- election schedule for Saturday.
Lalong who sued for peace on the Plateau commended the stakeholders for their steadfastness.
Earlier in a welcome address, the state chairman of the party, Rufus Bature said the bye-election was important to the life of APC in the state, urging the members to sustain their support for the party.
The chairman who said the party has forgiven all those who worked against it in previous elections added, that the leadership shall continue to work for the progress of the party in other to come out victorious in future elections.
“Mistakes have been made and lessons learnt let’s forge ahead for the common interest of the party. Let’s put our differences behind us because we have a very important task this Saturday.
The APC’s determination to emerge triumphant in the by-election was evident throughout the meeting, with attendees pledging full support and dedication to the outlined strategies.
As the campaign gains momentum, observers anticipate a closely contested electoral battle on Saturday, with the Plateau APC been an opposition party in the state aiming to secure a decisive win in the national assembly by-election.
