Elections: Hon Beni Lar alleges invasion of thugs, ballot box snatchers in Plateau

Kingsley Chukwuka, Jos

Member Representing Langtang North and South Federal Constituency of Plateau State in the House of Representatives, Hon. Beni Lar has protested plans to cause violence and snatch ballot boxes by political thugs during the Presidential and National Assembly Elections in Langtang North and South Local Government Areas of Plateau state. She explained that there are movement of political thugs with weapons into the two local government areas by suspected members of APC to shoot and disrupt the Saturday election so as to render it inconclusive. Hon. Lar, who is the daughter of the first civilian Governor of Plateau State and Pioneer National Chairman of PDP, stated this on Wednesday while briefing Journalists in Jos, also alleging that there was an order to withdraw the Civil Defence and Policemen in the area to enable the hired thugs unleash terror on the people. “The people of Langtang North and South are very peaceful and friendly by nature, we have credible information that political thugs have been imported to disrupt, vandalise and destroy all polling units in Langtang North and South, the strong hold of PDP so that the election will be declare inconclusive. “We have the PDP Governorship candidate, Sen. Jeremiah Useni from Langtang but unfortunately, the Local Government Areas are headed by the Chairmen from the ruling party, who are believed to be in the know of this evil plan.” Hon. Lar who is the PDP House of Representatives candidate said Plateau people would have been shock with the number of lives lost if the postponed Saturday election had taken place. “There would have been gunshots in many polling units in Langtang, ballot boxes would have been snatched, card riders would have been snatched, INEC staff would have been intimidated and the voters would have been scared away by gunshots by the thugs that were mobilize to Langtang. “We advice that the security agencies should be fully on ground to ensure that there is peaceful election, we do not want a single live lost. We will not allow anybody to come into our territory to intimidate us and stop us from casting our votes.” She added that Langtang people are committed to free, fair and credible elections, saying there was no point carrying arms against each other for the sake of winning elections. “Langtang North and South is a stronghold of PDP because late Chief Solomon Lar was the founding father of PDP and the people will not abandoned the party even after his death. “We urged security agencies to do their job professionally and be fair to all Nigerians particularly during the Saturday election.