The Plateau State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party has threatened to mobilise mass action against the state Governor, Simon Lalong, accusing him of travelling too much and abandoning governance at the detriment of the state and its people.
The PDP in a statement on Friday, therefore, gave the governor three days ultimatum to return to his duty post in the state or face the wrath of the people.
The statement signed by the party’s State Publicity Secretary, John Akans, which accused Lalong of desperation to impose his successor on the people even when his choice had been rejected by his APC apparatchik and other stakeholders, read in part, “The Peoples Democratic Party PDP, Plateau State Chapter, has observed with concern that since the controversial state APC primaries that scandalously produced Dr Nentawe Yilwatda as the party’s governorship candidate, Governor Simon Lalong has abandoned governance in the state and relocated to Abuja where all the other aspirants have laid siege in that regard.
“This has made Governor Simon Lalong restless and sleepless as he desperately pushes for his acceptance by Abuja, especially after the emergence of the APC Presidential candidate, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, whom Lalong fiercely worked against during the primaries.
“Lalong seems to be the unofficial campaign director of Nentawe as he intensifies lobbying the National leadership of APC to accept the candidature of Yilwatda who was allegedly elected under a scandalous and controversial circumstances with fake delegates.
“Since then, Lalong has hardly been in Jos. Unfortunately, the Governor declared Monday to Tuesday public holidays to enable civil servants participate in the continuous voter registration, but he himself has not been on the ground to give encouragement.
“Lalong was not elected as Chairman of Governor’s forum or campaign DG of candidates but as an administrator of Plateau State, though has failed woefully in his responsibilities.
“Today, the insecurity crisis in the state and the collapse of infrastructure, education and governance is giving Plateau people bitter experience of their lives.
“Crime, especially kidnapping and killings, has been on the increase in Plateau State, with workers on strike.
“For this reason, we hereby give Lalong three (3) days ultimatum to return to Jos or face mass action.”
But in a swift reaction, the state Commissioner for Information, Dan Manjang, described the PDP’s statement as reckless.
The commissioner said, “The statement by the PDP is a reckless one in the sense that there is no state governor that does not travel. And the governor’s travelling is for the good of Plateau.
“We have seen the benefits. If the PDP does not see it, Plateau people have seen them. If the governor does not travel, it is the same PDP that will say that he is a local man from the Ajikamai village in the Shendam LGA of the state who does not know anything. So, let it be on record that the governor will continue to travel until his last day in office.”
