BALEFUL APPROACH TO STIFLE DEMOCRACY IN FOUR LGAs OF PLATEAU STATE

The Forum of PDP Chairmanship and Councillorship Candidates in Riyom, Jos North, Jos South and B/Ladi LGA,s are utterly dismayed and appalled by the continuous shameless and blatant rape of democracy by the current APC government in Plateau state against the peace loving people of the four Council areas.
Their constitutional and inalienable right to elect their Chairmen and Councillors at this important level of government has been serially denied on grounds that are flimsy, inexcusable and insidious, to all intents and purposes.

It can be recalled that when the state government through PLASIEC conducted elections in 13 of the 17 Local government’s on the 10th of October 2018, the remaining 4 were excluded from participating in the exercise on the unacceptable premise of “insecurity”.
This unpopular action took many by surprise in view of the fact that at a time when the four LGAs witnessed a relative lull in violent attacks, the Lalong led government found it convenient to hold elections in LG areas like Bassa, Bokkos and Mangu which unfortunately witnessed unprovoked attacks on more regular basis.

Well meaning and countless citizens from the four Local Governments and even beyond expressed their shock, bitterness and bewilderment at this sordid development by appealing to the State government to reverse this untenable decision to enable citizens of these LGAs exercise their democratic franchise to elect their Local government representatives but to no avail.

Our Forum, in a Press release in 2019, vehemently opposed the action of the state government that portrays it as being punitive against the people of the four Council areas for reasons best known to the Lalong administration.
The Governor owes the world a lot of explanation on why “insecurity” hampered the conduct of elections in 2018 but how come the general elections conducted by INEC ,in February and March 2019, in all the four Council areas in an atmosphere devoid of any violence? It’s a well known fact that votes were seamlessly generated in the Presidential, National Assembly, Gubernatorial and State Assembly elections that brought about the current elected office holders, including Lalong. Has this, therefore, not rubbished the fallacy sorrounding the insecurity theory being bandied by this government?. There is really more to it than meets the eye.

In blind obsession to further perpetuate this rape of democracy, Governor Lalong, whom we thought, will be encouraged by the peaceful conduct of general elections of 2019, threw caution to the wind and this time, decided to arbitrarily, foist another set of management committee members on the four LGCs comprising of all the APC Chairmanship Candidates, their running mates and Councillorship Candidates in all the four LGs on the 9th of October 2019.
A lot of backlash greeted this deliberate swashbuckling and gross violation of the constitutional democracy that ought to be in practice. Many, viewed this unhealthy attitude as going far beyond mere political vendetta, but a development which, if not nipped in the bud would have dire consequences on the entire citizenry.

For instance, Officers representing three socio cultural groups in the Northern Senatorial zone namely BECO, Anaguta and Afizere Development Associations, in their joint World Press Conference on Tuesday 15th October 2019, expressed their bitterness and urged the Governor who himself is a “minister in the temple of Justice” to stop making baleful political decisions There by promoting and aiding gross impunity and perpetual illegality that could snowball into insecurity in the long run, especially the government’s preoccupation with endless imposition of undemocratic management committees on the four LGAS, but again, this Clarion call fell on deaf ears.

The Forum of PDP Chairmanship and Councillorship Candidates from the four LGAS as well as the teeming peaceloving citizens of the Council areas and even beyond were again, taken aback by news that emanated from the Plateau State House of Assembly, last week.The Speaker of the APC dominated House, went on air to announce yet another unconstitutional extension of the tenure of the management committees of the affected four Council areas in a manner that clearly portrays the Assembly as a veritable accomplice of the endless rape of democracy and constitutional rights of our people.

This vexatious resolve, for the umpteenth time is drawing widespread condemnation across board including the Minority Leader of the State’s legislature, who has since issued a Press release where he explained that the process that led to this latest so called tenure extension was illegal and undemocratic,as the motion was not subjected to a debate on the floor of the house,as constitutionally required.
This Forum outrightly condemns this repeated denial of the right of our people to exercise their franchise in electing their Chairmen and Coucillors in a free and fair electoral contest.The forum is calling on the Executive Governor who by providence is also a “Minister in the temple of Justice”to as a matter of utmost importance hearken to the voice of reasoning by shunning and abating impunity and illegality by immediately conducting elections in the affected LGA,s.

A situation where some Local Government areas are favoured to enjoy elected representatives whose tenure is almost over to the detriment of B/Ladi, Riyom, Jos South and Jos North, is inhumane and unacceptable,after going through the rigours and spendings in campaigns,screening and payments of required levy’s to both PLASIEC and the Party to be maltreatment this way Haba!

We demand the immediate dissolution of the management committees as it lacks any constitutional basis.
The State government, in conjunction with PLASIEC should issue a timetable for conduct of elections in the four marginalized LGAs as a matter of urgency. This is necessary in order to douse the growing suspicion that the State government is using the absence of elected officials in the aforementioned Council areas to create a Honey pot for personal gains of some interests within the ruling APC.
Failure to do the needful would amount to a deliberate and calculated show of haterate to the four LGAs,by not allowing them elect leaders their choice.

Quod Erad Demonstratum.

Sign :
1-Comrade Joshua Chong (PDP Chairmanship Candidate B/Ladi)
2-Hon.Emmanuel Solomon Dung-GIBOK (PDP Chairmanship Candidate Jos-south)
3-Hon.Aminu Zang (PDP chairmanship Candidate Jos-North)
4-Kim Titus Danja (KTD) -(PDP Chairmanship Candidate Riyom)

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PDP Candidates Write on Baleful Approach to Stifle Democracy in 4 LGAs of Plateau State