From Gyang Bere, Jos
Eighteen governorship aspirants under the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Plateau State have vowed to defect from the party if Governor Simon Lalong and his aides imposing Dr. Nantewe Yilwatda as that party’s candidate ahead of the 2023 election.
The aggrieved aspirants insisted that Lalong must remained neutral and follow the party’s guidelines for the conduct of the party’s primaries.
Chairman of the Forum and Convener, Chief Amos Gizo disclosed this on Monday during a press conference in Jos and said the eighteen gubernatorial aspirants are ready to come up with a consensus candidate among themselves to fly the party’s ticket in 2023.
“This briefing is necessitated by what looked like a rumor but has been evident by the body language of the state governor, Simon Bako Lalong with members of the state family, (Wife and brothers), his father in-law. Mr Cyril Tsenil the Accountant General of the State, Mr. Festus Fuanter, the Deputy National Secretary of the APC, anchored by member representing Pankshin/ Kanke/Kanam at the National Assembly, Hon. Yusuf Adamu Gagdi to subjugate the collective will of the members of the APC by imposing a candidate on the party in person of Dr. Nantawe Yilwatda Goshwe which is unacceptable to all of us.
“If the State party leadership allows those bend on subverting our nascent democracy to thrive it shall put the state chapter into crisis and we the 18 aspirants have vowed and agreed to dump the party with our teaming supporters for any party of our choice.
“The Governor should try to own up to his neutrality, the party as empires should maintain their neutrality and limit their choices during voting as any overt attempt to take sides will surely erode the confidence reposed on them, any state executive member who wishes to campaign openly for an aspirant must resign his or her position.”
Chief Gizo said the APC governorship Forum believed that the Governor’s action will subvert democracy by denying the people’s choice and foisting unpopular candidate that will cause misfortune to the party.
He stated further that the Governor’s preferred candidate disengaged recently from INEC as Resident Electoral Commissioner and he is yet to get the party membership right.
He added, “since this mater became open in the public domain, the governor has remained silent over it, this means silence is consent.”
Chief Gizo urged the APC leadership in the state to address with immediate effect the use of former adhoc delegates with amendments it is totally objected and insisted that election must be held in all the 207 federal wards to come up with the five delegates.
“The rumor of a concocted list of adhoc delegates is here by objected by all of us. We implore the state chairman not to key into this act of derailment of our our labored efforts that by today the state party leadership should place list of retuning officers for the exercise bod tomorrow where elected delegates will emerged.” He stated.