Plateau NDC Chairman Seeks Probe of Alleged Nomination Forgery

 

By Atlantic Reports

The Plateau State Chairman of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Solomon Ndam, has called for a police investigation into an alleged forged document used in an attempt to nominate Jonathan Sunday Akuns as the party’s governorship candidate.

Speaking at a news conference on Monday in Jos, Ndam alleged that an Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Form EC11B carried his name and passport photograph but bore a signature he did not recognise as his own.

“I executed INEC Form EC11B exclusively with Mr Alfred Dapal,” he said.

The forgery allegation has not been established. The supplied account did not include responses from Akuns, INEC or the party’s national leadership, and did not establish who prepared or submitted the disputed document.

Ndam said Dapal emerged through affirmation as the sole aspirant at a substitution primary held on 15 September.

He explained that he had initially won the party’s governorship primary held on 29 and 30 May, but later withdrew to allow a replacement candidate to emerge in line with the state’s zoning arrangement.

According to Ndam, the electoral committee sent from the party’s national headquarters abruptly left the substitution primary venue, creating what he described as an administrative vacuum.

He said the state leadership completed the process by invoking Article 12(8)(iii) of the party’s constitution, which he maintained authorised it to safeguard the party’s interests in those circumstances.

That interpretation of the party’s constitution remains Ndam’s account. The supplied material did not include the provision or an explanation from the electoral committee.

Ndam alleged that the disputed document was subsequently presented in an attempt to upload Akuns as the governorship candidate. He urged the Inspector-General of Police and the Plateau State Police Command to identify those responsible and prosecute any established offences.

He also said a Federal High Court had issued an order restraining Akuns from presenting himself as the party’s governorship candidate pending determination of a substantive suit filed by Dapal.

The account did not provide the court order, its date or the suit number. The reported interim restriction does not amount to a final determination of the nomination dispute.

The disagreement leaves questions about the conduct of the substitution primary, the authenticity of the nomination documents and the candidate formally recognised by INEC.

Ndam urged political stakeholders to respect due process and appealed to NDC members across Plateau’s 17 local government areas to remain committed to the party while the dispute is addressed.

Atlantic Reports: Voices. People. Facts.