Photo: Mr Caleb Mutfwang, Plateau State incoming Governor
PDP candidate Caleb Mutfwang set to clinch victory in Plateau guber race
Mr Caleb Mutfwang, the candidate of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is set to clinch victory in the March 18 governorship elections conducted in Plateau State.
From the results of 13 out of 17 LGAs that have been officially declared so far, Mutfwang has won in seven local government areas against his closest rival, Dr Nentawe Yilwatda of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) who is trailing him with victory in six LGAs.
Mutfwang has won in Mangu, Langtang North, Langtang South, Mikang, Barkin Ladi, Bassa and Riyom LGAs.
APC’s Yilwatda won in Kanke, Shendam, Jos East, Pankshin, Kanam, and Wase LGAs.
As of the time that Prof Idris Amali, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) State Returning Officer adjourned the collation of the governorship election results on Sunday until 10 am on Monday, results were being expected in just four local governments.
According to the Returning Officer, the local governments whose results are still being expected. and will be announced on Monday, and the governor-elect declared, are Bokkos, Jos North, Jos South, and Qua’anpan.
Based on the above results, Mutfwang has so far officially polled a total of 318,250 votes, while his APC rival scored 317,118 votes, which is a very close margin.
Periscope International reports that from all indications, however, Mutfwang is coasting home to victory because three of the local governments where results are still being expected, that is, Jos South, Quaan-Pan and and Bokkos are very big PDP strongholds, while Jos North is the only APC stronghold remaining.
For instance, the PDP has won the two House of Assembly seats for Quaan-Pan North and Quaan-Pan South state constituencies in the March 18 elections.
PDP has also won the only House of Assembly seat for Bokkos state constituency, as well as that of Jos South state constituency in the March 18 elections.
Even in Jos North, which is considered as APC’s stronghold, it is a 50-50 stake for the two contending parties because PDP even won the Jos North/Bassa House of Reps seat during the February 25 National Assembly polls.
By implication, the combined outstanding PDP total votes in Jos South, Quaan-Pan and Bokkos, will cancel out whatever advantage the APC will get from Jos North votes and give Mutfwang victory with a projected margin of about 40,000 votes!
This will give automatic victory to the PDP and a quit notice to Gov Lalong and the APC from Government House, Rayfield, come May 29, as earlier predicted by Periscope International in a well researched analysis last week.
Perhaps, the reality of APC’s impending defeat may have informed the decision of some desperate APC supporters who released a fake result on social media on Sunday which went viral claiming that APC had scored over 95,000 votes in the Jos North tally, while PDP polled a meager 21,000.
But the truth is that in Jos North, it is actually a 50-50 chance for either parties with APC having just a slight edge over PDP.
Meanwhile, PDP has won 16 seats out of 24 seats in the Plateau State House of Assembly, while APC won in just 7, with the Young Progressive Party, YPP, clinching that of Pankshin North, which further indicates that the outcome of the election is a true reflection of the people’s verdict on the ruling party’s fate.
The results announced on Sunday at the Collation Centre in Jos, the Plateau State capital, according to our correspondent covering the exercise, are as follows:
1. JOS EAST
APC 11852
PDP 9290
2. BARKIN LADI
APC 18,568
PDP 32,119
3. BASSA
APC 25,788
PDP 29,135
4. LANGTANG SOUTH
APC 12,437
PDP 16,104
5.KANKE
APC 35,436
PDP 6,870
6. LANGTANG NORTH
APC. 20,756
PDP. 27,826
7. MIKANG
APC 10,691
PDP 12,027
8. PANKSHIN
APC 28,827
PDP 15,957
9. SHENDAM
APC 30,815
PDP 17,733
10. RIYOM
APC 12,657
PDP 18,647
11. WASE
APC 35,011
PDP 26,557
12. KANAM
APC 48,710
PDP 28,706
13 MANGU
APC 25,570
PDP 77,279
Total
PDP 318,250
APC 317,118
