From: Gyang Bere, Jos
Governor Simon Lalong of Plateau State, has slamed his predecessor, Sen. Jonah David Jang and Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Hon. Damishi Sango, for daring to criticised his administration for refusing to conduct local government elections in the state.
Jang and the PDP Chairman, had accused Governor Lalong in several occasion for declining to conduct local government elections for fear of defeat, two years after he dissolved elected Council Chairmen and constituted caretaker committee.
In a swift reaction, on Wednesday, after accenting to a bill establishing Plateau State Independent Electoral Commission (PLASIEC) and Plateau State Internal Revenue Service at Government House, Jos, Lalong said the council election conducted by Sen. Jang was not based on the rule of law.
“I will not behave like my predecessor who conducted local government election with conflicted laws, that election was not based on the rule of law, that was why even when some local government chairmen got their mandate at the tribunal, the former Governor refused to swear them in. It was when I came into power in 2015 that some of them were sworn into office.
“My predecessor and the opposition PDP have being saying that I refused to conduct local government election because the APC will be defeated and today, I have signed into law the PLASIEC bill, they have the go ahead to conduct election based on the law and I will be ready to swear into office any party that win election.”
Lalong said PDP has been critical of the performance of his administration and noted that the ruling APC will demonstrate its political acceptability in the state now that machineries have been set rolling for the conduct of the election.
“If PLASIC role out time table to conduct local government election next month, I am ready because I have set the bases for a conduct of free, fair and credible elections.”
He said that Plateau is APC and rule out the chances of the opposition APC during the forth coming local government elections.