Plateau 2019 - Gov Lalong,s 2nd term bid gets major stakeholders’ backings
30th January 2019
By Golok Nanmwa ,Jos
Ahead of the gubernatorial elections slated for March 2, 2019 Key leaders and stakeholders of the All Progressives Congress in Plateau state have thrown their weight behind Governor Simon Lalong the candidate of the All Progressive Congress APC .
Similarly the Campaign Council of the ruling APC, for the re-election of Simon Lalong was recently constituted and inaugurated .
It could be recalled that a statement issued on 27th January, 2019 and signed by Mark Longyen, Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Media and Publicity, made available to newsmen in Jos recently said the campaign council has the Governor as chairman, with his deputy, Prof Sonni Tyoden as Deputy Chairman.
It reads that Arc Pam Dung Gyang is to serve as the Director-General of the council, with Hon Jurbe Gonzuk as his Deputy, while Prof Garba Sharubutu is to serve as the Secretary.
The statement further said the 49-member council also comprises the following as members:
Hon Letep Dabang,Plateau State APC chairman; Rt Hon Joshua Madaki, Speaker of the state House of Assembly; Solomon Dalung, Minister of Youth and Sports; and Senator Joshua Dariye, ex-Governor of the state.
Three former deputy governors of the state, Jethro Akun, Pauline Tallen, Ignatius Longjan are also members of the campaign council. Also included are Senator Davou Zang, Senator Timothy Adudu, as well as former Ministers, Dasuki Nakande, Bagudu Hirse, Jonah Madugu, Samuel Mafuyai.
The statement further reads that "Others are: House of Reps members, Suleiman Kwande and Idris Maje; APC NEC members, Jock Alamba and Mohammed Zakari; and Nigeria’s Ambassador to Liberia,James Dimka.
The list also comprises former speakers of the state House of Assembly, Isa Song, Johnclark Dabwan, and Peter Azi. Also included are the D-Gs of ITF and NTA, Joseph Ari and Yakubu Mohammed, respectively.
Senator Victor Lar, Senator Satty Gogwim and a former Clerk of the National Assembly, Umaru Sani, also made the list as members.
According to the statement, four former Secretaries to the state government, Sylvanus Lot, John Gobak, Kevin Kwaplong and Rufus Bature are members, as well as Saleh Kanam, Omar Shityen, John Alkali, Maichibi Vwarji, Lumumba Adeh, Amb Chris Giwa, Prof Emmanuel Garba and Dr Sumaya Hamza.
It further said James Lalu, chairman of the Plateau State Disability Commission, the state APC Youth Leader, Women Leader, APC Abuja, Kaduna and Lagos Communities are also members.
It added that eight directorates have also been established for the campaign and members named for each of them.
Speaking while inaugurating the 2019 campaign council in Jos ,Plateau state Governor Lalong said, that the APC in the state will set up elections monitoring committees to monitor individuals who may want to venture into anti-party activities ahead of the general elections.
He said, “We will not publish the names of those in the committee because you should not know those who would be investigating you,” he said.
He chided former governor of the state and senator representing Plateau North, Jonah David Jang, who recently said he did not build the new government house at Little Rayfield for the present governor to occupy.
The governor said, “I heard that someone said he will take away the keys of the house I’m occupying but he has forgotten that at the time he was occupying the house, we took away the keys from him. Maybe he is dreaming that he still has the keys to the house so he is deceiving someone that he will give him the keys.”
He said the general elections were about the future of Plateau, adding that “the people at the grassroots should be made to understand that those who are responsible for their present poverty woes, who destroyed the education of their children yesterday and looted the national and state treasuries yesterday, are the same people seeking to replace APC and return to power to perpetuate the misery of the masses. Their only aim is return to power to continue their looting spree to the detriment of all of us. Never again should we allow them access to power"
", let me reiterate that the Rescue Administration under my leadership has achieved so much in the past almost four years now and laid a solid foundation for the Plateau State of our collective dreams. The Constitution has already stipulated that we seek re-election for a second term in office and our aim is to return and consolidate on our modest achievements for the benefit of the people. The APC family and indeed the entire people of Plateau State owe us the duty of returning the party to power, failing which we will risk returning the state to the very people who had mortgaged her future and made it the sole inheritance of their own families."
"Already, our record time scorecard in less than four years speaks for itself, cutting across all our five policy thrusts, as we have unleashed the dividends of democracy which have continued to flow and flood all the nooks and crannies of the entire Plateau landscape, thus justifying our bid for re-election in order to continue to do more and consolidate on the ones already put in place. "
"We have, for instance, turned around the Education Sector; we have breathed life into the hitherto comatose civil service; we have stemmed the hitherto open-ended spate of violence; we have diversified the state’s economy to agriculture with amazing results to be savored in the not-too-distant future; we have empowered women and youths like never before; we have resuscitated hitherto moribund state-owned industries; we have completed most of the multi-billion naira projects which we inherited from past administrations and also embarked on new, turn-key projects, such as the Lalong Legacy Projects, among numerous projects "
, I wish to extend my olive branch to all the opposition parties in the state to join hands with us because our victory is a victory for the entire state and not for the APC alone. We must altogether eschew the politics of do-or-die, violence, conflict and rather strive towards creating a better Plateau State for our children yet unborn. We must learn to accept defeat when we lose elections and congratulate the winner without resorting to self-help. Let me warn that those found on the wrong side of the law in this regard will be severely dealt with in accordance with the laws."
Arch Pam Dung Gyang the Director General of the Governor Simon Lalong led administration said from what is on ground the All Progressive Congress APC would win the 2019 elections in the state .
Governor Lalong has done well and their is no vacancy in Plateau Government house come 2019 ,since he came into power in 2015 ,there has been relative peace in Plateau ,the projects he has done are seen in most part of the state .
Lalong is humble and has provided quality leadership to the people of Plateau.he has done well in revamping moribund companies as well as help reduce poverty in the state by empowering of youths and women .
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Latep Dabang the All Progressive Congress Chairman who was represented by Sati Bashir the Secretary of the party in the state who also spoke at the occasion said Lalong has followed the manifesto of the APC and has done excellently well .
He charged all APC members especially political appointees to ensure that they deliver their wards .
The party has confidence in those selected ,with those we have ,we are not afraid of any party ,rather we are sure of victory .
I call on the people of the state to continue to support the party at all times ,he added .
Recently Yakubu Dati the Commissioner of Information and Communication in Plateau State in a statement titled Buhari’s Visit to Plateau and the Lalong Narrative which was made available to newsmen in Jos reads that
the recent ’s visit to Plateau by President Muhammadu Buhari has emphasized the narrative brought about by Governor Simon Lalong on the Plateau.
The statement reads that "At the Rwang Pam stadium venue of the All Progressives Congress, APC, presidential rally, people did not care to know where the person standing next to them came from, they did not bother about their faith or ethnicity, all they cared about was that they were there for a common purpose; and in the process demonstrated that it was possible to achieve unity and the peaceful atmosphere for development."
This narrative which is a deliberate policy of the Governor Lalong’s administration is a departure from an inglorious past, where nepotism and tribalism ruled the day and where antagonism was elevated to a state policy.
Part of the twist Governor Lalong’s intervention has brought to bear on the state is that Plateau can rise above sentiments and be on the path towards sustainable development as is currently being witnessed with the many laudable projects springing up in almost every nook and cranny of the state.
Apart from projects initiated and completed by the state government under Governor Lalong which are too numerous to mention here, the governor has attracted lots of federal projects through the cooperation with other tiers of government and the creation of an enabling environment for investment.
Some of the projects include the N-power project, the Anchor Burrowers Scheme, Mangu water project, Pankshin-Gindiri –Bogoro road, the Lamba- Garam road, the Mobile Police Squadron in Gashish and Shendam as well as the Nigerian Airforce Tactical Search and Rescue unit, kerrang, amongst others.
Unfortunately, there are those who want to cover their eyes to all these achievements simply because it does not serve their political interests to admit that the current administration has walked the talk about making development to thrive in an atmosphere of peace.
What the people of Plateau demonstrated at the presidential rally by turning out in their thousands to receive President Buhari is that the tribes living in denial are fast turning a new leaf.
The unprecedented massive turn out of Plateau people irrespective of party affiliation, the excitement and happiness written on the faces of the people, the zeal and gusto of the masses to catch a glimpse of the President and Governor Lalong speak volumes about how the people appreciate what the current administration has done for them.
This definitely is a vote of confidence passed on the administration of President Buhari and that of Governor Lalong by the people and is a demonstration of the people's endorsement of the bid to return them to office.
It has also removed whatever doubts anyone could have on the prospects of Governor Lalong retuning to office.
Worthy of note in this regard, is the gale of defections of politicians of repute from other parties especially from the Peoples Democratic Paty, PDP, to the APC as witnessed shortly before and during the visit of the president to Plateau.
As it is, one can say as a matter of fact, that other parties have been emptied of their membership into the APC with nothing left in terms of quality and number that the opposition parties can hold on to.
Shortly before President Buhari’s visit, the APC welcomed Chief Chris Giwa who has been a strong pillar of support for the PDP in Jos South and other adjoining local governments.
Giwa’s size in the politics of Plateau North senatorial zone is huge given his widely acclaimed acts of philanthropy and the consequent amount of goodwill he enjoys across broad.
Little wonder that when Giwa moved to the APC, the whole of Jos South and adjoining local governments shook and the thousands that followed him was such that the PDP could no longer call a meeting there.
The PDP also lost Alhaji Auwalu, popularly known as Dankurma who's influence in Jos North is such that it was said he singlehandedly selected the PDP Chairmanship candidate.
In Plateau South senatorial district, the PDP also lost a great figure in the person of Senator Victor Lar, popularly known as ‘Mainasara.’
Lar had represented Langtang North/Langtang South, the Federal constituency of the current governorship candidate of the PDP in Plateau State, Jerry Useni for eight years. He then contested for the Senate and defeated the same Useni in the epic race for the Senate seat in 2011 which has been tagged the David versus Goliath fight.
Useni’s dream of going to the Senate was only made possible because Lar in 2015 opted to go for a higher office. But the people of the zone know that any day Lar pitches his tent against Useni in a political race, the latter usually takes cover to avoid a repeat of the humiliation he received in 2011.
Lar has moved to the APC with his numerous supporters leaving the PDP in Plateau South empty and without substance.
In Plateau Central, Senator Sati Gogwim, another wonder kid who enacted the David versus Goliath scenario by defeating then Senate Deputy President, Ibrahim Mantu, has joined the APC.
Simon Ngwan, a grassroots mobilizer who had been the bulwark of the PDP in the central zone, also moved to APC with his large followership among the voting populace who believe in him.
Notable decampees like Hon Kassam Ngap Jacob, a member of the Plateau State House of Assembly, Hon Shehu Saleh Hassan, former member of the National Assembly and Hon Simon Barry, a former State Chairman of the ANPP amongst several others has grossly depopulated the ailing PDP.
As it is, no party in Plateau has the quality of persons that are in the APC at the moment. The party has transformed into a mass movement.
This has been made possible by the hard work, candour and camaraderie of Governor Lalong, who has embraced all, irrespective of ethnic or religious affiliations.
Little wonder, Plateau is referred to as the home of APC.
Remark Ditep an APC youth leader said from what is on ground I am confident that our party would coast to victory at the polls .
The youths of plateau are with us ,the elders and stakeholders of plateau are with us ,with the kind of support we have ,I am confident of victory for the APC he added .
