21. Plateau PDP drags Gov Lalong to court, says he should conduct LG polls

The Plateau state chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has dragged the state governor, Mr. Simon Lalong, to court for his refusal to conduct local government elections.

Speaking to Daily Times correspondent on Tuesday in Jos, the PDP state Publicity Secretary, Mr. John Akans, said Lalong is legitimizing illegality.

According to him, “we are in court because we discovered that Gov. Lalong is legitimizing illegality at the expense of the ordinary people of Plateau state.

“If you recall, in his second week in office, he dissolved the elected local government councils and this act alone is illegal to the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”

Akans said the 1999 constitution as amended did not give room for any caretaker committee but that the local government administration will be run by elected officials.

He said after Lalong ran an illegal caretaker committee as LG Chairmen for almost two years, he went ahead last week to commit another illegality by appointing Transition Committee Chairmen as replacement for the sacked Caretaker Committee, adding that he hurriedly sworn them in at night to avoid a court injunction.

His words, “he appointed illegal chairmen who occupied the local government councils for almost two years and we were expecting that elections would be conducted and the people were patiently waiting for election to be conducted, but unfortunately, again, he went and carried out another illegal act.

“Even the law that was passed at the State House of Assembly did not give room for transition and there is nothing like having a part-time councilor in the constitution; that is why we are in court”, he said.

The PDP Publicity Secretary said the governor is afraid to conduct LG polls because he has lost popularity at the grass root, saying that the APC will lose shamefully should the LG election hold sway.

Mr. Akans said the PDP will continue to pressure Gov. Lalong, using all Legal means until the LG polls holds, but that if the governor refuses to respect the constitution, the people will revolt against his tyranny.