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Plateau witnessed low turn out in the re-run election

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Plateau witnessed low turn out in the re-run election

By: Bodunrin Kayode

It was an obviously low turn out of voters in Plateau State for the re-run election which took place in the plateau north senatorial constituency

This was because most of the prospective voters in the senatorial zone learnt about 24 hours before the election that their party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) logo was missing from the ballot paper.

Consequently, most of the residents decided to stay indoors amidst the “no movement” directive by the government rendering the polling units in the northern senatorial zone of Plateau State with abysmally low turn out.

While some of the polling units in the zone got their materials as early as 8am enough for the exercise to start, some of them got theirs quite late but in spite of that, they waited endlessly for the voters pinging their phones because there was nobody to conduct accreditation with in their units.

Some party agents in some wards in Rantia, Jenta, down to new haven were seen calling their people to come out from their apathy and vote because most residents who are supporters of PDP did not come out for the exercise.

Some of the voters complained that they did not see their party PDP on the ballot paper so they opted for some other friendly parties instead of going home like that while those who were supporters of the All Progressive Congress (APC) queued patiently for their candidates.

A resident who lives in Rantia and who preferred not to be named told this reporter that they were not happy that the political wrestling match between the elders of the PDP which ended in the appeal court recently has robbed them of vital seats in the national assembly and now they had to vote for candidates they never planned for.

“we were frustrated when we heard 24 hours ago that our party the PDP was not on the ballot paper for today’s election so we came out to vote for another party expectedly.

” Since the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) excluded the PDP we listened to our elders who advised us to vote for the Action Democratic Party (ADP) which was the only one that will support the interest of the people in the Senate.

” imagine we sent our agents to monitor the off load of the materials at the central bank of Nigeria (CBN) only to find out that the PDP was excluded from the ballot papers they were going to distribute today.

” At first they did not want our agents to see, but when we insisted we must check to avoid mistakes, our agents were mad to see that they were playing on the intelligence of the people all these days knowing that they had dropped off the PDP from the ballot”.

” On a whole, it was a low turn out averagely in the entire metropolis except for a few exceptions. Imagine at the hill station junction where a polling unit is located at the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ,) only 25 people voted out of 250 registered. Just 10%, to me that was very low indeed”.

On the status of the election in Barkin Ladi, another source told this reporter that the election was peaceful in the area except that most people especially young people stayed off out of disappointment.

Last minute adoption with the absence of pdp on the ballot

This reporter learnt that not to loose completely, a last minute adoption was made by the elders of the PDP not mentioned in a hurriedly circulated text message to different wards that their teeming supporters should rather vote the ADP instead of going home to lament.

It went thus:” we deeply regret the minor setback that our party, the PDP, and its candidates have experienced leading up to the upcoming re-run election on Saturday.

” However, let us not allow this distraction to deter us as loyal party members. Let us prioritize the welfare of Plateau State above party affiliation.

” If you genuinely care about Plateau State, we urge you to support candidates who will assist Governor Caleb Mutfwang in making our state better. The most suitable candidates, who have undeniably demonstrated their capability in doing so, are PRINCE PAM MWADKON DACHUNGYANG from the ADP FOR THE Senate and
HON. DANIEL ASAMA from the LABOUR PARTY for Jos North/Bassa in the Federal House of Representatives.

“We believe that by electing these candidates, we will be acting in the best interest of Plateau State as a whole.

“Therefore, we kindly request that every one of you come out in large numbers to vote for these candidates on Saturday. Please spread the word so others can act the same. May Plateau Succeed” said the message they kept passing around.

But that was obviously too late for a lot of residents who swore that it is either PDP or nothing at all.

Plateau witnessed low turn out in the re-run election

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Troops clear bandits’ camps, rescue victims, recover arms in Bauchi

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Troops clear bandits’ camps, rescue victims, recover arms in Bauchi

By: Zagazola Makama

Troops under Operation WUTAN DAJI have cleared several bandits’ camps, rescued kidnapped victims and recovered arms during clearance operations in Bauchi State.

Security sources said troops of 33 Artillery Brigade Garrison, in conjunction with elements of the Brigade Headquarters and a team from the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA), carried out the operation in Kumbodoro forest and Kumbodoro village.

According to the sources, the operation was led by the Commander, 33 Artillery Brigade, Brig.-Gen. S.S. Shehu, as part of ongoing efforts to rid the area of criminal elements.

They added that several bandits’ camps, including Azuge camps, were cleared during the operation, while a number of the criminals were neutralised.

Items recovered include four skeletal rifles, four dane guns, two pairs of boots, three helmets, a power bank, a Startimes decoder, one FN rifle magazine, one AK-47 magazine, communication links, a jackknife, six mobile phones, arrows, radio chargers, ATM cards, photographs, identity cards, as well as several pairs of security agency uniforms and leg chains.

The sources further disclosed that eight kidnapped victims were rescued during the operation.

They said troops are currently holding position within the Kumbodoro forest to consolidate gains from the clearance mission.

In a related development, the sources said troops deployed at Duguri, in collaboration with local vigilantes, recovered 36 cows at Mushen Kura village following information that the animals were roaming the area.

“The cows are suspected to have fled from bandits’ camps due to the ongoing operations and are currently in custody for further action,” the sources said.

They noted that troops’ morale and combat efficiency remain high, while operations continue to deny bandits freedom of action in the region.

Troops clear bandits’ camps, rescue victims, recover arms in Bauchi

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Joint security forces raid herders’ camp in Rivers, recover arms and ammunition

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Joint security forces raid herders’ camp in Rivers, recover arms and ammunition

By: Zagazola Makama

Joint security operatives under the Joint Task Force, South-South, Operation Delta Safe, have raided a suspected herders’ camp in Ikwerre Local Government Area of Rivers State, recovering arms and ammunition.

Security sources said the operation was carried out at about 1:30 p.m. on April 12 along the IPO community axis by troops of 6 Division Garrison in collaboration with personnel of the Air Force, Navy, Police, Department of State Services (DSS) and Civil Defence Corps.

According to the sources, the raid targeted identified herders’ and cattle rearers’ camps in the area.

They added that items recovered during the operation include one AK-47 rifle, one pump-action gun, 274 rounds of 7.62mm special ammunition and four mobile phones.

The sources noted that the operation is part of ongoing efforts to curb illegal possession of firearms and enhance security across the Niger Delta region.

Joint security forces raid herders’ camp in Rivers, recover arms and ammunition

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Zulum establishes quarry centre, procures 70 trucks for infrastructure development

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Zulum establishes quarry centre, procures 70 trucks for infrastructure development

By: Our Reporter

Borno State Governor, Professor Babagana Umara Zulum, has announced the establishment of a quarry centre in Pulka, Gwoza Local Government Area, to accelerate infrastructure development in the state.

Zulum made this announcement on Monday while flagging off the distribution of 70 brand-new Howo pickup trucks to the Ministry of Works and the State Road Maintenance Agency (BORMA) at the Government House.

The 70 Howo trucks are designed to boost the operational capacity of the Ministry of Works and its supervising agencies. The trucks will enable the swift delivery of materials to sites and faster intervention on distressed roads.

According to the governor, the quarry centre will provide locally sourced materials including granite, gravel and sharp sand to support ongoing and future road projects, reducing dependence on external suppliers and cutting costs.

“We have achieved a lot in health, education, agriculture, security, and road construction among others. However, we still have challenges of constructing roads within the state, especially in rural communities,” Zulum said.

“My administration has established a quarry plant in Pulka with a processing capacity of 120 tons per hour. The State Government spent at least 3 billion to establish the quarry plant”, he added.

According to the governor, due to the prevailing insecurity, most contractors are not willing to work in Borno.

“You know, no serious contractor will take the risk of deploying his equipment to most of the implementing areas, so this is the reason we are here”, the governor reinstated.

“So, we have no option but to strengthen the capacity of the Ministry of Works, the capacity of Borno State Road Maintenance Agency (BORMA), the capacity of special projects, monitoring departments and other MDAs that are responsible for road construction.”

The brief ceremony was attended by the Secretary to Borno State Government, Bukar Tijani, Acting Chief of Staff, Dr Babagana Mustapha Mallumbe, Permanent Secretary Ministry of Works, Engr Baware, BORMA Chairman, Engr Sadu Auno, the Special Adviser on Monitoring and Evaluation, Engr Bukar Gujubawu and other senior officials.

Zulum establishes quarry centre, procures 70 trucks for infrastructure development

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