From Yakubu Wuyep, Jos
Despite the repeated All Progressives Congress, APC, House of Assembly primary of Mikang Constituency in which the result was finally released swings in favour of the current member and Speaker of the legislature, Rt. Hon. Naanlong Daniel, defeating his opponent Timdi Nkat with 632 votes difference.
The Former Member of Mikang State constituency ,Rt. Hon. George Dakai, also speaker of the House and Member representing Qua’an Pan/Mikang/Shendam Federal Constituency in the National Assembly, rejected the result, describing it as political disaster. But in a swift reaction, a political bigwig in Mikang, Bulus Balnan refuted Daika’s claim, falsifying the allegations and qualifying the Assembly result as genuine.
Daika alleged irregularities especially in Piapung Ward 1&2, where he accused the speaker of using thugs to invade , attack policemen, drove them away, and brought another set of personnel, intimidated and dispersed voters, assaulted him (Daika) using thugs, scripted results in Piapung Ward A & Ward B, imported voters from Shendam of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, extraction using fake APC membership cards.
Adding that Naanlong violated the rules of the election which prohibits aspirants from moving from one polling unit to the other during primaries, by moving around to other wards and rigging.
Daika alleged that the first and second primaries that were cancelled was at the instance of the Speaker using fake returning officers to announce the results with the help of some right hand men of his in government.
He further added that the Speaker violated the gentle man zoning arrangement of the State Assembly where he is heading for the Fourth term in office.
According to him, the zoning arrangement instituted was to carry the four tribes in Mikang along, where it’s the turn of Garkawa, and not Piapung, where himself and the speaker hail from.
On his part, Balnan said that the primary went smoothly, adding that where they tend to have problems, was Piapung as Daika and his crew tried causing commotion seeing they were losing by dispersing voters, but at the end everything was brought under control and the election went well with the Speaker emerging victorious.
Balnan denied the claim that Naanlong used fake returning officers to announce the results, saying all the problems came from Daika and his supporters who wanted Naanlong to lose Piapung at any cost so as to claim superiority over Mikang politics; asserting that much earlier, Daika had a sitting with APC stakeholders in Piapung trying to persuade them to jettison their son, Naanlong, and support Nkat in the name of zoning, which they outrightly declined.
Hence, he resulted to seeking ways Piapung elections will be cancelled.
He said, “If the election is repeated a thousand times between Naanlong and Nkat, the Speaker will emerge victorious a thousand times.”
Furthermore, Balnan denied any assault on Daika by the speaker, likewise bringing voters from Shendam or elsewhere; adding that indigenes of Mikang across the state usually register their party membership and voter registration at home and whenever the need arises, they return home to participate in party primaries and the secondary elections.
He reiterated that those who came from Shendam are indigenes of Mikang who registered their party membership at home, that came and participated in the primaries.
On the issue of gentleman agreement on rotation, Balnan explained that after one of the elders’ meetings in Mikang, Daika asserted that the rotation accord has long been jettisoned, and that they have told the Assembly aspirants to agree amongst themselves to present a person for the secondary election, but in case of failure, they would go for the primary; adding that the latter ensued which Daika’s candidate was defeated.