Plateau All Progressives Congress, APC, Elders has accused Ex-Governor Lalong alleged plan to remove them from the party.
In a statement signed by Hon Komsol L. Alphonsus and Hon Lumumba Adeh, the duo said; “After weeks of speculations, it has finally been confirmed that indeed there’s an instruction from the former governor of Plateau State, Hon. Simon Bako Lalong, for you to suspend respected and prominent leaders of our great party, the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Plateau State.
According to them they hinted thus; “We had expected if that is not the case that you would have come out with a rebuttal or a clarification of the matter since the matter has become public.
“Your silence on a matter as sensitive as this is therefore only be a confirmation that, not only is there such a plan but that you have been recruited into the plot because you have been promised a position at the national level as a reward.
“That is why you are in a hurry to nail these eminent personalities and have kept the matter out of the knowledge of other members of the State Working Committee and state executive committees to connive with only the secretary and publicity secretary in consultation with the former governor to hatch the plot while directing the chairmen of the party at the local government levels to concoct and fabricate stories of anti party activities on these persons and submit them to you.
As the matter is gaining momentum and the possibility of its being implemented stares us in the face, we have no option but to pen this missive to you to prevent you from taking steps that will further plunge the state chapter of our party, which has lost key positions in the last elections into needless crises and public ridicule.
We’ve observed that those penciled down for the suspension are APC leaders in Plateau State who recently paid a courtesy call on a prominent leader of our party in North Central Nigeria, Dr. George Akume, on his appointment as Secretary to the Government of the Federation.
They include, Chief Amos Gizo; Dame Pauline Tallen; Hon.Alphonsus Komsol; Hon.Lumumba Adeh; Alh Dasuki I. Nakande; Sen Prof Nora Dadut; and others.
From all indications, the visit to Senator Akume appears to be our sin since the plot to suspend us started from the day our pictures with the SGF became viral.
But on that, we insist that we owe no one any apology for visiting and congratulating the Secretary to the Government of the Federation and that we, as responsible party men, stand by our actions.
We further wish to make it clear that our action was not a mistake but deliberate to celebrate one of own who has shown exemplary leadership by rescuing his state from the PDP and winning overwhelming majority of the seats. contested for at the last general elections.
In case you are not aware Mr chairman, unlike Plateau which had a sitting governor and many federal and state legislators before the last elections, Benue was entirely a PDP state with both the governor and majority of federal legislators and all the local government chairmen from the party.
But in a show of sheer political wizardry and resilience, Senator Akume was able to return the entire state including the governor, two out of the three senators and ten out of the eleven House of Representatives members to the APC!
With these feats, Senator Akume by our estimation, has gone beyond the level of an average political leader to one who should be hailed and celebrated which was what informed our decision to visit and felicitate him.
The directive for you to penalize Plateau APC leaders who chose to celebrate Senator Akume on his appointment would therefore not only be ill-advised but tantamount to an anti party activity which would be the greatest misadventure you could take since assuming position as state chairman of our great party in Plateau State.
This will be most unfortunate because we are at a stage when states that lost elections are calling for reconciliation to review the circumstances that led to their losses, while Plateau State would be seen as stoking the embers of discord just because the former governor was beaten to the Secretary to the Federal Government position by Senator Akume.
To us that will be the height of pettiness and bad politics which could rob us of the remaining sympathy the people have for us.
Even though you were favoured by Lalong to occupy the position of state chairman, we wish to remind you that your loyalty should be to the party and not to an individual according to the oath of office you took while been sworn in as chairman.
You will agree with us that these leaders in question were the very ones that put Plateau APC in the mainstream of national politics with their support to the candidacy of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu to win the party’s presidential ticket. As exemplified by some of them being members of the PCC and ICC campaign organs of Tinibu/Shettima candidacy.
While Lalong supported former governor Rotimi Amaechi for the candidate of the party, it was people like Chief Amos Gizo, Dame Pauline Tallen, Alhaji Dasuki Nakande, Alphonsus Komsol, Lumumba Adeh, etc that stood firmly for Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
These leaders contributed their personal resources even when they were aware that money was given from Abuja to deliver the party in their respective constituencies which were kept away from them.
While Lalong became a liability to the party as evidenced in his losing his ward, local government, federal constituency and senatorial districts, these leaders delivered their various constituencies to the APC and its candidates.
Were it not for the efforts of these leaders, the votes the APC and its presidential candidate would have got in the last election would have been far less.
It would therefore be a terrible mistake to try to ridicule these leaders with an unwarranted suspension simply to massage the ego of the former governor who since losing the election has not deemed it fit to call leaders of the party to a round table but is absorbed in trying to lobby for a federal appointment after failing to deliver his state.
Worse still is the fact that even you as state chairman have failed to convene a stakeholders review/reconciliation meeting since the election which give us the impression that you’re either not concerned about reclaiming Plateau for the APC or you have keyed into the plan of Lalong to subjugate the interest of the party for your personal interest.
Almost all these personalities slated for suspension are members of the state executive committee which you as state chairman should have met with to chart the way forward but you have failed to do that.
“We are aware that because the deputy national secretary, a former commissioner under Lalong was handpicked by the former governor; that the plan is to use him to convince the national body of the party to endorse the suspension.
“But this cannot work as the national body of the party is led by sentient, honorable and commitment party men of integrity who cannot be blindfolded into backing decisions that are not for the good of the party.
We are also aware that you submitted three names including yours and Lalong’s for possible ministerial appointment, hence your buying into the suspension plan might be a ploy to ridicule these leaders to pave the way toward realising that ambition as you see them as threats.
The entire country is already laughing at the Plateau APC for its dismal performance at the last election, hence the least the party could do to redeem it’s image, is strategise on how to recover from its losses and not continue in steps that will bring friction and division within the party.
We therefore urge you to ignore the directive from Lalong as it is self serving and not in the best interest of our party.
We urge you to, as a leader to know the difference between self serving interest and what is for the common good.
These leaders have done the right thing by visiting and congratulating Senator Akume and should be commended for their efforts in putting Plateau APC on national map.
Rather than take his directive, we urge you to use your position to summon Lalong to come and explain to the party how he, within eight years, squandered the goodwill that the party enjoyed from the people of Plateau.
This is the way to go for the APC to reclaim its glory in Plateau.
Rest assured of our genuine loyalty to the party and esteemed regards to your office.
