IRREGULARITIES IN PLATEAU STATE BYE-ELECTIONS

C O N F I D E N T I A L ABUJA 003155

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/07/2016
TAGS: PGOV KDEM PHUM NI ELECTIONS
SUBJECT: IRREGULARITIES IN PLATEAU STATE BYE-ELECTIONS

REF: A. ABUJA 2766


B. ABUJA 2817

C. ABUJA 2870

Classified By: Political Counselor Russell J. Hanks for Reasons 1.4 (b
and d)


1. (C) Fourteen members of the Plateau State House of
Assembly were removed for leaving the ruling PDP (reftels),a
decision inconsistent with the decision in Jigawa State and
elsewhere, where INEC allowed those who had changed parties
to join the PDP to retain their seats. Lawsuits continue to
decide whether the Assembly members were properly removed,
and one of those suits sought an injunction to prevent a
bye-election from taking place on December 6 to replace them.
Media reports on December 6 indicated that a court in Abuja
had granted the injunction barring the elections until legal
questions were resolved.


2. (C) On December 6, PolOff called Plateau State Resident
Electoral Commissioner Deacon Martins Okunfolami to find out
INEC's plans in light of the injunction. He said that the
injunction was "only a rumor," and that INEC was "going
forward with our program for today." When asked if that
meant INEC would be able to release results later the same
night or the next day, he said they would conduct the
election and then call central headquarters to "get
instruction on what to do next." PolOff later spoke with
Ahmed Garba, an attorney in Plateau State, who said that
elections were indeed ongoing. Garba believed that
Okunfolami was correct and that no injunction existed barring
the elections. INEC chairman Maurice Iwu also denied in the
press and to PolFSN that there was an injunction. (Note:
Attempts to contact the court were unsuccessful. Post does
not know whether an injunction was ever issued. End note.)


3. (C) On December 7, PolCouns spoke with election
supervisors in 9 of the 14 districts in which elections were
being held for new assembly members. According to them, the
PDP had won only one of those 9 districts. When INEC
announced the results of the balloting on December 8, the PDP
had gained 12 of the 14 available seats.


4. (C) COMMENT. It appears that local officials called INEC
command in Abuja to "get instruction on what to do next."
The 9 people with whom PolOff spoke are normally reliable
sources, and it seems unlikely that so many of them would be
wrong about who won in their districts. Combined with
polling while ongoing legal proceedings questioned the
validity of the election, it appears to be one more electoral
irregularity as Nigeria prepares for national elections in 4
months. END COMMENT.
CAMPBELL