Gyang Bere, Jos

Concern Elders of the All Progressives Congress (APC), in Kanam Local Government Area of Plateau State, have called for the sanction of top members of the party in Kanam who castigated Governor Simon Lalong for refusing to endorsed an illegal candidate, Mohammed Barau, for the forth coming local government elections in the state.

Spokesman of the group, Comrade Musa Isa Musawa, while addressing journalists, in Jos, on Monday, said Mohammed Barau was not screen and did not participated in the party primaries which Hon. Abbas Adamu Wokdung emerged as APC flag bearer in November, 2017.

Meanwhile, the pro-Mohammed Barau group, in a separate press conference addressed by Alhaji Sule Shuaibu, Deputy Chairman, Kanam Local Government Area APC Elder’s Forum and Mr. Kalamu Idris, Chairman Lalong APC Project 2019, threatened to withdraw support for the Governor ahead of 2019 governorship election if Mohammed Barau is not made APC candidate for the local government election.

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Musawa explained that the party had refused to issue a certificate of return to Hon. Wokdung which he  proceeded to court to seek redress and judgement was ruled in his favour in May 2018.

“The uncivilised, uncultured and unsavory language used on the governor, the candidate and all the loyalists of the Party is embarrassing. APC is well known to be people oriented, disciplined and all inclusive party.

“It is, therefore, strange that whether youth wing, stakeholders or any form of nomenclature could go to the press and unleash insults on elders and constituted authority.

“We are not surprised that the said group is threatening to leave the party or engage in anti-party activities particularly against the person of the Governor and APC Local Government Chairmanship candidate in the future elections. It is a known fact that most of them have dual loyalties and only joined the APC when elections had already been won.”

Comrade Musawa noted that six aspirants indicated interest to contest the election and only five aspirants were screen and satisfied for the election but the state Chairman of the Party, Hon. Latep Dabang had gave an order for Mohammed Barau to be admitted into the contest without screening.

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“From the foregoing and in conformity with the Electoral Guidelines of the APC, Mohammed Barau was not qualified to stand for primary election in the first place.

“When voting was to commence, a new aspirant, Mohammed Barau who was not in the contest at Dengi was strangely brought in as a substitute to Idris Musa Suleiman who had disappeared from the scene of the election.

“There was serious contention that nearly marred the election but which the committee admitted that the party chairman at the state level gave order that the strange substitute be admitted into the exercise that held on the 18 November, 2017.”

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Mr. Idris who read the text for the pro-Mohammed Barau said ” We view the utterances of the Governor as not only unfortunate but an insult to our individual and collective sensibilities.

“How else can one justify that a person who is genuinely aggrieved is being threatened and not pacified.

“For the avoidance of doubt, the Governor must note that by appointing the people of Kanam to occupy positions of responsibilities little or no favour has been done to the APC family in Kanam.

“We make bold to say that the Governor’s action and inactions in conducting the affairs of APC in Plates state is not helping the party in any way as enumerated.

“We fear that what is happening to APC in other states of the country may also affect us in Plateau state, hence the need for all concern APC stakeholders to call the Governor to order to avert looming crisis in APC family in the state.”