Five ex-commissioners in Plateau State dump PDP for APC – Punch newspaper

President Goodluck Jonathan

Five former commissioners in the administration of Governor Jonah Jang of Plateau State have defected from the ruling Peoples Democratic Party to the opposition All Progressives Congress.
The six commissioners, who were received at the commencement of the governorship campaign rally of the party governorship candidate of APC in Plateau State, Mr. Simon Lalong, were former Commissioner for Information, Mr. Nuhu Gagara; Special Duties, Mr. Danny Ajik; Environment, Nankin Bagudu; Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Benehel Andong; Agriculture, Mr. Na-Allah Mutbam, and Special Adviser Media, Mr. Dan Manjang.

They were joined by former PDP governorship aspirants, Prof. Longmas Wapmuk and Mr. Godfrey Miri, and former Minister of State for Sciences and Technology Mrs. Pauline Tallen, among others.

Speaking at the rally, Lalong, while bemoaning the debt profile of the state, which he put at over N100bn, said there was a need to rescue the state from total collapse.

He promised to lay a solid foundation of the development for the state.

According to him, if elected into office, he will ensure that salaries of civil servant, who are the engine room of government, is paid as at when due and creation of job opportunities for the youth, who are the leaders of tomorrow.

Speaking on behalf of the defectors, Gargara said their group was made up of men and women of integrity, who had worked at various times and in various capacities in Jang administration for the progress of Plateau State and Nigeria as a whole.

“In the light of above, we have decided to jump out of the sinking ship of the Peoples Democratic Party and declare for the All Progressives Congress and have decided to work for the victory of APC at all the elections in the state and at the federal level,” he said.

He said the group also intended to use its platform to break the tag of APC as a party of Muslims, which he noted some mischief makers were using to confuse the people of Plateau State.

Meanwhile, Jang said the APC presidential candidate, Muhammadu Buhari, committed lot of atrocities against Politicians when he was military head of state.

He said Buhari’s negative records would speak against him at the forthcoming presidential poll and assured President Goodluck Jonathan that the state would vote massively for the PDP in the forthcoming elections.

Jang stated this in Barkin Ladi Local Government Area of the state during the PDP campaign rally in the council on Thursday.

Culled from Punch