Governor Simon Bako Lalong of Plateau State wears two crowns and
bears the twin responsibilities of governing the state and serving as
the chairman of Northern States Governors’ Forum (NSGF). The coronavirus
pandemic ravaging the world has accentuated the challenges facing the
governor on the two positions he occupies.
Apart from being forced by situation and circumstances exacerbated by
the COVID-19 pandemic to hold two consecutive virtual meetings with his
colleagues from other 18 states, the governor was recently tackled by
the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) over the way and manner
palliatives are being distributed to the people.
In a statement by its Publicity Secretary, John T. Akans, the Plateau
State chapter of PDP accused the governor of not only setting up a
partisan committee to distribute the palliatives but also ensuring that
only APC supporters in the state received the handouts. However, Plateau
APC had in a statement chided PDP for trying to revive its comatose
political presence in the state by joining issues with the Rescue
Administration of Governor Lalong.
The governing party responded to PDP’s allegations, saying: “Apart
from trying to pitch the people against the government, which has failed
woefully, perhaps the PDP thinks that the palliatives will be
administered in the character and style which is shabby, selective,
embezzling and corrupt as they did with public resources during their
years of infamy.
“The donations towards COVID-19 have been open and announced on all
media platforms. The UBA account where the monies are domiciled is in
the public domain even though PDP and all its members have not donated a
dime to it. They are rather eager to generate and propagate lies
against the government spending fictitious N500 million on
decontamination alone.
“Instead of dissipating energy in chasing shadows and attempting a
failed misadventure of recuperation using COVID-19, PDP should rather
join in supporting the Rescue Administration in finding solutions to the
pandemic. If they cannot do anything, they can at least assist in
making the citizens, particularly their members in understanding that
this pandemic is no respecter of persons whatever their party, religion,
tribe, economic status and other affinities.”
It is on record that THE political atmosphere in Jos and other parts
of Plateau State became subdued immediately after the Supreme Court
upheld the election of Governor Lalong for a second term. But matters
took a surprising turn when PDP took exception to what it described as
the attempt by the APC government to corner the state’s commonwealth for
its members and supporters alone.
In the statement dated April 25 and made available to journalists,
the main opposition party called on the state government “to be
proactive and inclusive in the fight against this dreaded virus just
like other states.”
PDP cited the instance of Bauchi State, where it said the
government-appointed traditional and religious leaders and religious
associations like Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Jama’tul
Nasril Islam (JNI) and political stakeholders in the COVID-19 palliative
committee, to ensure holistic disbursement and prudence.
According to PDP, “Our position is simple. Government should assist
Plateau citizens by coming to their aid at this critical time; our
emphasis was that APC should not use this COVID-19 as a gateway for its
personal profit, which it is known for.
“But to our greatest dismay, even in the face of failing to
holistically come to the aid of the citizens with palliatives as
promised by them, they still went on issuing an unbundled statement full
of fiction and lies, this further shows its unquenchable thirst for
power even to the detriment of people’s lives.
“The ruling party must stop claiming monopoly of governance at this
critical time that all stakeholders are supposed to come together to
fight this unseen killer.”
The party further accused APC of celebrating “mediocrity as its
achievements at all times… It is unfortunate that the ruling party has
allowed itself to be deluded by sheer desperation to monopolize all
aspects of political and professional governance at this critical period
that needs all hands on deck.”
Beyond politics
PIQUED by the opposition party’s resort to what it called mischievous
blackmail, the governing APC cautioned PDP to mind its words, stressing
that the COVID-19 pandemic is a global health challenge that is beyond
political grandstanding. While informing PDP that the “coronavirus
cannot revive your political irrelevance,” APC noted that not only
Plateau State, but the entire “world is on the edge because of the
catastrophic impact of the Coronavirus pandemic.”
In a statement signed by its Publicity Secretary, Hon. Chindo S.
Dafat, Plateau State APC explained that ever since Nigeria witnessed its
index case, Governor Lalong and other patriotic leaders were not
resting on their oars to find workable ways of containing the spread of
the coronavirus, as well as managing the socio-economic challenges the
pandemic has thrown up.
The party regretted that despite the APC-led rescue government’s
efforts to tackle the twin challenges, the government “has been
inundated by the disgraceful and futile attempt of the moribund PDP to
not only distract the governor from focusing on the fight against
COVID-19 but also hoping to make cheap political capital from the
pandemic.”
While stressing that PDP failed to convince itself on what it meant
by the need for “proactive steps” to be taken by the government, APC
said the party has a hidden and mischievous agenda by citing examples of
other states like Lagos, Ogun, Rivers, Oyo, Edo, Cross River and Benue,
which it claimed have “adequate” health facilities and personnel for
COVID-19.
“No doubt, these are precarious times that have put governments
across the world, including Nigeria, on their toes to prevent the spread
of COVID-19, ensure treatment of those infected as well as find a cure.
“Since the first index case was reported in Nigeria, the APC-led
Rescue Administration in Plateau State under the leadership of Lalong
took proactive steps to ensure that the disease does not infiltrate the
state, and in case of any eventuality, the state is able to respond
quickly and robustly to deal with the situation.
“For Governor Lalong, this emergency requires all hands to be on
deck, as the virus does not discriminate against its victims
irrespective of gender, tribe, religion, ethnicity, economic status, or
even political affiliation.
“That is why he has continuously engaged all stakeholders in fighting
the pandemic and boosting the state’s preparedness. Typical of his
all-inclusive governance style, he has carried all stakeholders along
and galvanized the support of all well-meaning citizens of Plateau State
in the fight against COVID-19, not minding what divide they belong.”
Even as it maintained that it would have ignored the shenanigans of
the collapsed PDP, APC claimed that the opposition party “has been in
the intensive care unit ever since the discerning people of Plateau
unanimously rejected it in 2015 and 2019. Since then, the party has
continued to attempt to re-invent itself through its old tricks of lies,
propaganda, and deceit.”
Alluding to the 2019 governorship poll in the state, Plateau APC
declared: “Most disgusting is the fact that they have been desperate in
trying to use COVID-19, a global health emergency, as their comeback
strategy having lost their last bid to gain any relevance as the Supreme
Court finally buried their lost ambition by affirming the mandate that
Plateau State people entrusted in the rescue governor, Simon Bako
Lalong.”
Giving account
APC used the opportunity of the spat with PDP to give an account of
steps taken by its Rescue Government. According to the party, “it is
inevitable to put the records straight and clear the doubts of the
people of Plateau, Nigerians and the international community, “who have
followed with admiration the doggedness of Governor Lalong and the
Rescue Administration in taming the COVID-19 monster from ravaging the
state.”
Describing as concoction the statement credited to PDP’s spokesman,
Akans, APC said the opposition party, having “stayed for so long in the
Intensive Care Unit (ICU) and in so much slumber, woke up in
hallucination with an incoherent, disjointed, poorly written and empty
press statement.
“PDP not only failed to convince itself on what it meant by the need
for “proactive steps” to be taken by the government but equally betrayed
its hidden agenda by citing states like Lagos, Ogun, Rivers, Oyo, Edo,
Cross River and Benue which it claimed to have “adequate” health
facilities and personnel for COVID-19.
“Quick questions to ask Plateau PDP are: When did they carry out this
analysis and come to this conclusion? How did they go about this
assessment despite the lockdown in Plateau State and the states they
claim to have assessed? What were the criteria for the assessment? Who
validated it? Why did they fail to specify the “fantastic” facilities in
these states? Why did they not point out what Plateau State lacks for
responding to COVID-19?”
Plateau APC’s spokesman, Dafat, stated that APC government has been
busy trying to revive the near-dead health facilities across the state
since assuming office and it has largely succeeded.
“Governor Lalong has remained undaunted in rebuilding most health
facilities and even initiated world-class health projects under the
Lalong Legacy Projects located in the three senatorial districts of the
state.
“The PDP knows but refuses to acknowledge the fact that apart from
taking many strategic decisions, Governor Lalong visited the Plateau
Specialist Hospital, Jos University Hospital and Bingham University
Teaching Hospital to ensure that the isolation facilities are ready for
the fight against COVID-19.”
According to APC, during that visit, Lalong directed the immediate
purchase of more ventilators, Personal Protective Equipment (PPE),
medicines and other accessories for treatment of COVID-19 cases.
“All these have been delivered,” Dafat declared. “In addition, he
directed that health personnel should be trained and retrained on the
Coronavirus disease to make them battle-ready.
“As the Chairman of Northern Governors Forum, Governor Lalong led his
colleagues in demanding for testing centres in the North, which
immediately paid off when NCDC designated the NVRI Vom as a testing
centre with capacity for over 1,000 samples in a day. Indeed, the recent
index case for Plateau was detected at the centre and more samples are
being tested now.”
APC declared that unknown to PDP, the Palliative Committee headed by
the Deputy Governor, Prof. Sonni Gwanle Tyoden, had commenced the
distribution of palliatives beginning with orphanages, people living
with disabilities, orphans and the elderly on Saturday, 25 April as
directed by the governor.
“When their hired protesters were intercepted and addressed by the
chairman of Jos North Local Government and the commissioner of police,
they melted away with apologies, and they are now ready to face the
anger of the protesters for deceiving them and taking them on a wild
goose chase”.
We maintain our stance
STATE chairman of PDP, Hon. Yakubu Gwot Chocho, told The Guardian over
the telephone that the party stands by its stance against the APC
administration, stressing that the statement by the publicity secretary
was simple and based on facts. Chocho said he knew the law and would not
flout it, but contended that since the pandemic was not about APC or
PDP or any other party, “I expect our governor, who is a lawyer, to know
that consensus is needed for transparency. He should call stakeholders
in Plateau State across party lines; whatever committee he wants to set,
he should set it up. We expect the governor to, unlike the one headed
by his deputy governor, bring CAN, JNI community structures and
political parties.
“But we discovered the governor set up the community headed by the
deputy governor and the issue of palliatives, whatever food items they
are sharing, people are seeing, those that were given were specifically
of APC members.
“How will the other parties not complain? This is something that
involves the entire state. We respect him; we expect him to invite the
stakeholders, party leaders, religious leaders, to see how we can tackle
the problem together, adopt equitable sharing method. How would you
unilaterally know the poorest of the poor? The virus does not know any
party. Everybody has been locked down in the entire state. That is our
complaint.”
Chocho maintained that even if PDP did not issue a statement, the
same complaints were on the lips of the people, from the markets, the
streets and homes.
“That is the way our people feel,” Chocho said. “Election has come
and gone; Lalong is the governor of Plateau State. He should see
everybody as citizens and not on the basis of what party they belong.
Why set up a committee headed by your deputy with only party men?
Selective palliative is not good.”