Plateau Govt Slams PDP’s ‘Ignorance’, Says Gov. Lalong Will Name Commissioners Soon

SIMON_LALONGThe Plateau State government yesterday said the process for the nomination of commissioners was in progress and will be completed as soon as Governor Simon Lalong consents and presents the nominees’ list to the House of Assembly.

According to a statement issued by his Director of Press and Public Affairs, Samuel Emmanuel Nanle, and made available to journalists yesterday, Lalong and the All Progressives Congress (APC) had completed the processes leading to the submission of names for the position of commissioners from a participatory and people-oriented approach, which began from the ward to the local government levels.

The statement was reacting to a statement credited to the Organizing Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Plateau State, Mike Dachom, who said the non-appointment of commissioners was a sign of lack of focused leadership by the APC administration in the state.

In his response yesterday, Lalong described the PDP chieftain’s comment as regrettable, adding that “people who do not understand the workings of democracy can openly brandish their ignorance of the fact that democracy is process driven and for it to be participatory, all critical stake-holders must be carried along”.

He said the 8th House of Assembly, which was inaugurated on the 10th of June, 2015, had just returned from a one week legislative retreat and was settling down to consider the state budget, which the last PDP administration in the state could not pass before it exited office.

The statement also pointed out that payments of three months arrears of salary out of the eight months inherited from the PDP government and the clear respect for the rule of law which resulted in the swearing-in of Chief Dan Dul as Chairman of Langtang North, as well as the resumption of work by Civil Servants from their strike action, are signs that the Lalong administration was on the right track.