The opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Plateau State on Thursday accused Governor Simon Lalong of sponsoring a ploy to recall the member representing Langtang North-North Constituency, in the State House of Assembly, Hon. Godfrey Lamdit.
The party made the accusation through its Publicity Secretary in the State, John Akans, while briefing journalists in Jos.
Akans said, “The Leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Plateau State is pained and disappointed with the news of another planned illegality by Governor Simon Lalong to recall the member representing Langtang North-North Constituency, in the Plateau State House of Assembly, Hon Godfrey Lamdit.
“The party is aware that the Chief of Staff, Governor’s office, has been selected as the undertaker of this wicked plan to deny the good people of Langtang North-North of quality representation in the state legislature.
“The dastardly plan entails the spending of millions of naira – funds that could have been committed to improving the living standard of Plateau, but now to be committed to private pockets and political brigandage”, he further alleged.
“It is amazing to say the least that rather than expend the Paris Club Refunds recently released to his government for critcal infrastructural transformation, Governor Lalong’s immediate priority is to undertake a reckless recall of a Legislator.
“This reckless misadventure is coming on the heels of his perpetration of illegal, strange and unconstitutional contraptions in the Local Governments in the name of caretaker committees.
“With this upcoming political comic in the name of recall, even the staunchest of Lalong’s supporters will cringe at the legal and political stumbling of a man, once the head of the state’s legislator, a lawyer, whose penchance now is to trample legality with illegality, supplant decency with the indecent and muddy the waters of justice with injustice”, he said.
The PDP further stated that while other governors were busy signing anti-open grazing bills, Governor Lalong was busy committing state resources to “non-issues”.
“It is not laughable, dear Plateau people, that a whole governor will sponsor the recall of a member simply on the allegation that the member did not share the meat of a Christmas cow given to him by the governor.
“The APC adminstration has infamously moved from being ‘one chance government’ to ‘one cow government'”, he further lamented.
“But to the discerning, this latest desperate move is simply to divert the people’s attention from a very woeful scorecard. This cannot be his alternative to failure to deliver the promised change and rescue in four years.
“PDP reminds security agencies and the general public that there are laid down proceedures for recall, impeachment or removal of any elected officer as enshrined in the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as amended”, he said.
He said “the PDP rejects and will strongly oppose any act of illegality by the APC-led government, which falls far short of Constitutional requirements but promotes “despotism and underdevelopment”.
Reacting to the allegations, the Plateau Youths for Change in a press statement signed by its Secretary, Issac Kwalo described Governor Simon Lalong as a true democrat and bridge-builder.
“As a group, we condemn in strong terms comments credited to the PDP that our Governor is making an attempt to recall the member representing Langtang North-North Constituency, in the Plateau State House of Assembly.
“We say that our Governor Simon Lalong is a democrat and would not promote illegality.
“Our Governor Simon Lalong’s major priority is to make Plateau great again, our Governor is doing his best in restoring lasting peace to Plateau and also uniting all tribes in the State”, the group stressed.
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