INEC Issues Certificates Of Return To Plateau Gov, House Of Assembly Members
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has issued Certificates of Return to the Plateau State Governor, Simon Lalong, his deputy Soni Tyoden and elected members of the state House of Assembly.
The event which took place at the INEC office in Jos, the capital had their family members, party chieftains as well as well-wishers in attendance.
In her remarks at the occasion, INEC National Commissioner supervising the Federal Capital Territory, Kaduna and Plateau States, Professor Antonia Okoosi Simbine, decried what she described as a lack of internal democracy among political parties.
Read Also: Plateau Governor Simon Lalong Re-Elected For A Second Term
According to her, the desperation of politicians and their supporters compounded the problem of inconclusiveness in the just concluded elections.
The elections which held in the state on March 9 had been declared inconclusive as a result of the margin of a lead of 44,929 between the APC and the PDP candidates, which was less than the 49,377 cancelled votes.
Governor Lalong had initially polled a total of 595,582 votes ahead of his closest rival and candidate of the PDP, Mr Jerry Useni, who polled 546,813 votes.
During the supplementary election held on March 23, Lalong defeated Useni with a difference of 48,769 votes, after which he was returned as the winner.
