Mayoral aspirant seeks removal of 3,000 alleged fake voters in Lanao Sur town

Alleged fake voters in Pualas, Lanao del Sur line up outside the Municipal Circuit Trial Court in Ganassi town, last Friday, 13 December 2024, to answer questions about their age and residence. MindaNews photo by FROILAN GALLARDO

GANASSI, Lanao del Sur (MindaNews / 16 December) – A mayoral aspirant in the May 2025 elections has filed a petition before the Municipal Circuit Trial Court (MCTC) here to exclude around 3,000 alleged fake voters in Pualas town in Lanao del Sur, which triggered a tension.

Hundreds of supporters of Pualas Mayor Amanoden Ducol flocked here last Friday, December13, after his rival, Al Ihsan Marohom Ibrahim, filed the petition before the MCTC. The court has judicial jurisdiction over Pualas town and the neighboring municipalities of Madamba and Pagayawan in Lanao del Sur.

Ibrahim alleged that nearly 3,000 of the 9,151 registered voters in Pualas town are “fake or fictitious voters.”

MTCC Branch 3 Judge Flerida Aisa Baluto-Macaraya summoned the alleged fake voters from Pualas town to appear in court to answer questions, ranging from their age and residence.

“Based (on our) tabulation, we seek the removal of 2,900 alleged fake voters who have registered in Pualas town,” Atty. Mohammad Jihad Sarangani, chief legal counsel of the complainant, told reporters.

Tension rose when supporters of Mayor Ducol prevented the convoy of Sarangani and the other lawyers of mayoral aspirant Ibrahim from leaving the courtyard of MTCC Branch 3 building in Ganassi town.

Lieutenant Colonel Juanito Jamis, Lanao del Sur police deputy director, said the supporters of Ducol alleged that the convoy of the lawyers had two unidentified armed policemen from outside the province.

However, Jamis  said  that when they checked the documents of the policemen from Maguindanao, they found their papers are in order.

“The policemen presented to us their travel orders and other pertinent papers. Their escort duty was legal,” Jamis said.

According to the  non-profit International Crisis Group, elections and the months prior to election day in Lanao del Sur “is always marked with fistfights and brawls between candidates’ supporters.”

The group said the Commission on Elections declared a failure of elections in 14 Lanao del Sur villages during the May 2022 polls following violent incidents committed by warring politicians and their supporters. (Froilan Gallardo / MindaNews)