A former member of the House of Representatives from Plateau State, Hon. Bitrus Kaze, has declared that the action of the state Governor, Mr. Simon Lalong, over the appointment of APC chairmanship candidates as caretaker chairmen in Jos North, Jos South, Barkin Ladi and Riyom LGAs has destroyed the fibre of trust in the state.
Kaze disclosed this in an exclusive interview with DAILY POST in Jos, the State capital.
DAILY POST recalls that Lalong had on 9th October, 2019, swore in four management committee chairmen who were chairmanship candidates of the ruling APC in the four aforementioned councils where elections were not conducted in the 2018 Local Government polls.
But Kaze while reacting, said that the action of the governor had destroyed the fibre of trust in the state.
He added that this singular act by the governor has also “destroyed every fabric of peace that is expected to be built upon in the state,”
He said, “We don’t trust this administration. I said so because this is the first time any elected governor in the state will throw away the destiny of the people in order to pacify personal political interests.
“Since Plateau was created, we have never seen this level of betrayal by the government that goes by the appellation ‘Rescue Mission’. I just pray that Governor Lalong, at the end of his tenure, will be able to give us back Plateau just the way it was handed to him in 2015.
“We are not asking him for anything better, but let him give us Plateau the way he met it. This cannot be a method to achieve peace.
“This is a man that claimed he has reduced his five-point agenda to three and the first is peace, good governance and constitutionality. The step he has taken so far has turned the first agenda upside down because the law exists to regulate society, to promote wellbeing and security of the citizens”, he maintained.
Kaze who represented Jos South/Jos East in the House of Representatives between 2007 to 2015, said, “This step that the governor has taken has destroyed every fabric of peace that is expected to be built upon in the state. He has done inculpable damage by this step.
“To the best of my knowledge, no elected government in the state since 1976 when it was created has so destroyed the fibre of thrust as we witnessing today. We are completely disappointed”.
When asked if the appointment of a non-native as Management Committee Chairman in Jos North LGA was meant to serve as a means of reconciliation amongst the various ethnic divides, the former lawmaker said, “How can an unconstitutional act promote reconciliation?,” he asked.
“It is like you want to cool off your environment and you bring fire and claim it will cool the place. It is constitutionality that promotes order and civil obedience.
“The governor cannot engage in a rape of democracy and turns his back to claim he is promoting reconciliation. Since he claimed there is peace in the state, he should conduct election on the basis of this”.
On the way out of the political quagmire, the PDP chieftain said, “The way out is for Lalong to conduct local government elections in these four councils, that is the way out.
“He said they would be there for three months, but the law did not recognise such arrangement even for twenty-four hours.
“So, it is incumbent on the governor to retrace his steps and abide by the constitution and conduct election to promote peace, good governance on the Plateau as claimed in his three-point agenda”, Kaze stressed.
