54 Ethnic Communities In Plateau Endorse Lalong For Governorship

Fifty-four communities in Plateau State on Wednesday said they have endorsed the candidature of the All Progressives Congress gubernatorial candidate, Barrister Simon Lalong, for Saturday’s election. The communities spoke through a group known as the Plateau Unity Forum at a press conference held at the NUJ Press Centre. The spokesperson of the PUF, Alhaji Sani Mu’azu, made the position of the communities known. Mu’azu was flanked by many community leaders, among whom were Musa Garba Izam, Shehu Ibrahim Masalla, Ambassador Ibrahim Kasai, Alhaji Alhassan Shuaibu, Ponzhi Nimmyel Nimsel, Nuru Abdullahi of MACBAN and others drawn from across the various Local Government Areas of the state. The group said previous individuals that had served as governors in the state, including Governor Jonah Jang, were elected in the spirit of Plateau State irrespective of tribe, creed or social class. According to them, this demonstrates the equity of all the ethnic communities regardless of their relative demographic size, background or cultural affinity. “Throughout the history of Plateau State, no family, village, district or community has demonstrated a parochial political disposition as is being perpetuated by the present regime of Da Jonah David Jang,” the group said. The text of the press conference further stated that the members of the communities have mandated the leaders to declare that “all our communities as represented by the signatories have adopted Barrister Simon Bako Lalong, the gubernatorial candidate of the APC as our sole candidate for the April 11 election and hereby call our members to vote for the candidate enmasse.”