The Plateau State Independent Electoral Commission has presented certificates of return to 304 councillors-elect across the state, including two Igbo youths, Austin Wachuku and Okoro Uzoma.
Wachuku, from Abia State, was elected councillor for Vanderpuye Ward in Jos North Local Government Area while Uzoma, an indigene of Imo State, was elected to represent Tafawa Bela Ward, also in Jos North. Both secured their positions on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party.
Presenting the certificates at the PLASIEC headquarters in Jos, the state capital, the commission’s chairman, Plangji Cishak, congratulated the councillors-elect for their victory in the council polls held last Wednesday.
However, the elections in 21 wards were inconclusive, leaving the councillors from those areas without certificates of return. The PLASIEC chairman confirmed that a re-run election will be conducted in the affected wards on Saturday, October 19.
Cishak urged the newly elected councillors to serve their communities diligently, emphasizing the importance of fulfilling their campaign promises.
“As PLASIEC, we have ensured that the election was free, fair, and credible. Today, it is with joy that we present you with certificates of return, allowing you to be sworn in at your various LGAs,” he said.
He added, “We retain the right to review some election cases, and by the grace of God, on Saturday, October 19, we will conduct a re-run election in areas where polls were not concluded.”
Some of the councillors-elect, speaking with The PUNCH, commended PLASIEC for conducting a peaceful election.
They called on their opponents to join hands with them in working towards the development of Plateau State.
