Plateau LG Polls: We Are Ready For Jang, PDP Antics – APC

Reactions have continued to trail last Saturday’s Local Government elections in Plateau State, as some bigwigs of the ruling All Progressive Congress (APC) in the State, on Monday said they were ready to stand against the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in whatever antics they will come up with.

InfoStride News recalls that the APC won all the 17 Chairmanship seats, as well as all the 325 councillorship positions at the polls.

The election was without fierce contest because the PDP which is the main opposition party did not participate in the election due to the court of Appeal’s judgement which barred them from participating.

According to the court, the PDP did not follow certain procedures in conducting its earlier congress and the attendant primaries, thereby giving the ruling APC little or no challenge.

Meanwhile, the PDP leader in the State and former Governor, Jonah Jang, in a statement by his Media Consultant, Clinton Garuba, said, “this election was a clear show of shame exhibited by the government and the APC in the state”.

It said Jang believes that, “the truth will always come to the fore and it is only a matter of time before the courts will prove that the desperation of the APC to capture power by force was an exercise in futility”.

Responding, however, the APC bigwigs said any antics of Jang and the PDP put together would be countered because the election followed due process, and the court verdict was not an APC making.

Speaking on their behalf at the swearing-in ceremony of the newly elected chairmen at new Government House in Jos, Saleh Mandung Zazzaga said, “the PDP is just seeking attention and crying wolf because their disqualification by the court was their own creation and not that of anyone, because they refused to put their house in order”.

He said the PDP are now trying to bring up sentiment, but that they would not allow them because the peaceful local government polls experienced had never been witnessed during the tenure of Jang who is the PDP leader.

Zazzaga called on Jang to tow the line of peace and be the elder stateman he is by not only congratulating and wishing the newly elected officers well, but to also join hand with the Governor Simon Lalong administration in moving the state forward.

Meanwhile, Governor Lalong at the swearing-in ceremony said the event is a very significant achievement in the “democratic journey and the efforts to build a Plateau that is inclusive, egalitarian and progressive”.

He expressed delight that all political parties and candidates had equal opportunity to participate in the process from the beginning, while those who had issues within their parties exploited all legal options to ventilate their grievances rather than resorting to taking laws into their hands.