A lawyer and former Plateau State House of Assembly Speaker, Simon Lalong, has urged citizens of the state to vote the ruling Peoples Democratic Party out of power so as to change some of the anomalies being perpetuated by the party in the state and the country at large.
Lalong, the flag bearer of the All Progressives Congress in Plateau State in the forthcoming elections, had in his bid to wrestle power from the PDP reached out to different communities, including the Jos branch of the Nigerian Bar Association, to seek support for the seat of the governor of Plateau State in the April 11 governorship election.
According to him, Plateau State desires an inevitable change from the hands of what he termed a crude and lawlessness government of Governor Jonah Jang and give it to a leader that will restore justice, peace and ensure equitable distribution of state resources to citizen of the state.
Lalong told journalists when he appeared before a Media Forum organized by the correspondents’ chapel of the Plateau State chapter of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, that Jang’s administration had witnessed irregularities, including lack of accountability, misplaced priority and reckless spending of state resources.
He berated his colleagues in the state House of Assembly for their inability to checkmate the excesses of the chief executive of the state.
He said: “It is a matter of fact that this is a state where governance is reduced to a family enterprise.
“Where the governor’s son is holding double portfolios as Special Adviser to the governor on Special Duties and at the same time is the Commissioner on Land and Survey without passing through any screening from the House of Assembly and nobody has raised any question over that.
“It is also very disturbing that the state Assembly is reduced to nothing.
“When allegations of N81 billion SURE-P money was brought before the House for investigation, the same Jang’s son went to court to obtain an injunction to seal their mouth from opening their mouth and the House could not do anything over it.
“Now, the governor has spent well over N8 billion on federal roads, which President Goodluck Jonathan during the campaign visit to Jos, said he has paid back the money.
“Yet, it is not reflected in the state budget and he still went and obtained a soft loan from Islamic Bank and other banks amounting to over N400 billion and the lawmakers are not talking.
“As a matter of fact, Plateau does not need any new Government House, but the man went and spent over N15 billion for the construction of new Government House while pensioners, teachers, civil servants are being owed between five and eight months of their entitlement.
“Most annoying is that the state university that was established by the then Governor Joshua Dariye Administration has never graduated any set due to the bad leadership of the governor.
“He first closed down the university for a whole year.
“If not the intervention of my deputy, Prof. Sonny Tyoden, who absorbed them to the state UniJos, before they graduated.
“The man keeps changing Vice Chancellors without any reason but hate.
“Now the problem is that those that ought to be graduating are facing big problem of graduation because even if they graduate, they can’t go for service because none of the courses has been accredited.”
Lalong however stressed that when elected as the governor of the state, he will use his wealth of experience as a lawmaker to transform the state to enviable and cherished heights.
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