Gubernatorial aspirants under the platform of the All progressive Congress in Plateau state have threaten to leave the party if due process is not followed in electing the flag bearer for the party ahead of the primaries.
Addressing a Press conference in Jos on Monday, Chairman/convener of the forum of APC Governorship aspirants, Chief Amon Gizo insisted that an attempt by the Governor of Plateau state, Simon Lalong or the Party hierarchy to foist a candidate on the party and the people of plateau state will be resisted.
The forum is also asking the party leadership to address forthwith the use of ad hoc delegates with amendments for the primaries.
The list of those who are members of the forum include the Deputy Governor, Sonnie Tyoden, Professor Dakas Dakas, Mr. Sunday Biggs , Doctor Patrick Dakum and 14 others.
Read Press Text Below:
TEXT OF PRESS CONFERENCE OF 18 PLATEAU APC GOVERNORSHIP ASPIRANTS BY CHIEF AMOS GIZO CHAIRMAN/CONVENER OF THE FORUM. HELD ON MONDAY 9TH MAY 2022 AT KALWA HOUSE, JOS.
Gentlemen of the press.
It is my pleasure and a privilege to be amongst you this morning.
– It has made it a necessity for us to address you this morning considering recent development in our great party the APC Plateau state chapter.
– It is no longer news that the issue of the moment is the 2023 general elections; most political parties are busy with primaries to produce party flag bearers to beat the INEC schedules.
– Our party the APC is not left out of there process by preparing guidelines and schedule of primaries sales of forms for all elective positions are ongoing and is expected to close by Tuesday the 10th of May 2023.
– As the processes are going on in the sate the executive Governor of Plateau State Rt. Hon. Simon Bako Lalong and the state chairman Hon. Rufus Bature sermonad and enlarged stake holders meeting at the government house on Monday 18th/4/2022 they admonished all aspirants to speak to themselves on possible withdrawals and a possibility of coming up with a consensus candidate.
– This we started immediately after the parley but we as governorship aspirants were invited by the state chairman Hon. Rufus Bature at the state secretariat at kalwa on the 25/4/2022
recterated the govern house position and asked us to try to help the party and ourselves by trying to agree and to come up with a consensus candidate or at least reduce the number of governorship aspirants at the end of the meeting the state chairman gave legitimacy to the Plateau governorship aspirants forum by appointing Chief Amos Gizo as the chairman convener of all the over 20 APC governorship aspirants.
– As the ruling party in the state and at the center our desire is to produce credible, qualified and electable candidates who are loyal to the party leadership and a person without baggage as we want to return power beyond the 16 years of PDP.
– We know what it is to be in government and to be outside government and we don’t want to repeat the mistakes of the previous leaders who could not install their successors by being selfish of imposing unpopular candidates.
– The press conference is a collective agreements and position of about 18 governorship aspirants of APC Plateau state who have all indicated interests for the number one seat of the state.
– The governor and the leadership of the party in the state all confirmed that all of us are most qualified that the least qualified of the APC aspirant is better than the most qualified of candidates of the other parties. We are all passionate about the Plateau state project, all interested in changing the narratives of a new secured, developed Plateau. All of us have met and spoken and have asked ourselves the question of how did we come to this decay? Where did we get it wrong?
We all agreed that Plateau is not progressing as the indices of progress show that we are derailing from the prestigious 3rd position in the 60s, 70s and 80s amongst the states of the north to 12th, this means something is fundamentally wrong with successive administrations of the state that the political will to propel positive developments by our founding fathers these are what we have discussed and all willing to change.
The APC governorship aspirants on the Plateau are seasoned experts in their fields ranging from academic professors, doctors, administrators, accountants, and financial experts, lawyers, surveyors etc. All willing to key into the new Plateau project.
The aspirants in our meetings have resolved as follows. At our maiden meeting, the aspirants resolved as follows:
1. There should be no impositions of any kind and consensus will be done by the aspirants themselves.
2. We all agreed that any aspirant that becomes the consensus candidate will be supported by all.
3. We all agreed that whoever emerges will have the blue print of other aspirants to be embedded into his manifestos and programs.
4. We all agreed that delegates will emerge by either the consensus of the aspirants or election must take place at the various designated wards and local government.
5. That no concurred list will be accepted.
6. The party leadership should ensure strict compliance to the guidelines of the party for the conduct of the adhoc delegates and our position has been communicated to the party leadership by our chairman chief Amos Gizo and the secretary Dr Danyaro serpiya by our mandate.
This press conference is to let you members of the fourth estate of the realm know and in turn let the world and particularly the leadership of our party at the natural level know our position and to proudly say that for the first time matured men aspiring for the same position and all put their personal ambitions and interest on time to chart a course for the collective interest of Plateau and have vowed that they will come up with a consensus governorship candidate for APC on the Plateau before the primaries.
This press conference is necessitated by what looked like rumor but has been evident by the body language of the state governor Rt. Hon. Simon Bako Lalong with members of the first family (wife and brothers) his father in-law. Mr Cyril Tsenyil the Accountant general of the state, Mr Festus Fuanter the deputy national secretary of APC anchored by the member representating pankshin, kanke and kanam at the national assembly Rt. Hon. Yusuf Adamu Gagdi to subjugate the Collective will of the members of APC by imposing a candidate on members of the party in the person of Dr. Nentawe Yilwada Goshen which is unacceptable to all of us. We all believe this act of subverting democracy has the express approval of the governor just to deny the people’s choice and foist an unpopular candidate that will cause misfortune to the party as their preferred candidate he has just disengaged with INEC as Resident Electoral Commissioner and he is yet to get his membership right with APC and has not totally disengagement with INEC. Since this matter became open in the public domain the governor has remained silent over it, this means silence is consent. He has the authority to caution all the perpetrators.
Other issues the 18 aspirants would like the party leadership in the state to address immediately is the use of the former adhoc delegates with amendments it is totally objected by us and as major stakeholders of the governorship primary we insist that an election must be held in all the 207 federal ward to come up with the five delegate of which two must be women. The rumor of a concocted list of adhoc delegate is here by objected by all of us.
We implore the state chairman not to key into this act of derailment of our much labored efforts that by today the state party leadership should place list of returning officers for the exercise of tomorrow where elected delegates will emerge.
While we acknowledge that members of the legacy pressure group have a right to converse votes for their preferred aspirant but they do not have the right to usurp the powers of the party in the state or try acts capable of turning the APC fortune to misfortune.
– 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 – The Plateau state APC governorship forum has unanimously resolved that before the governorship primary we shall present to the party a consensus candidate who has the quality to win at the general election against other parties’ candidate.
We have equally resolved that all of us shall join the consensus candidate in his campaign and we shall contribute financially and otherwise to the success of APC in the state.
– 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.
Thank you all for taking your time out and we trust you will do justice to the points raised.
Thank you all and God bless.
Long live the federal republic of Nigeria,
Long live APC,
Long live Plateau state and
Long live Plateau state APC governorship aspirants.
1. Chief. Amos Y. Gizo – Chairman/Convener
2. Danyaro Dakon Sarpiya – Secretary
3. HE. Prof. Sonnie Tyoden
4. Shem Y. Damisa
5. Amb. Chief Yohanna Margif
6. Dr. Danlami Lenkop
7. Dist. Sen. Hezekiah A. Dimka
8. Compt. David D. Dimka
9. Mr. Geofrey Yileng
10. Mr. Johnson Podar
11. Mr. Sunday Garba Biggs
12. Mr. Kizito Gukas
13. Mr. Sipak Shaset
14. Mr. Shehu Barde Pukat
15. Barr. Garba S Pwul
16. Prof. C. J. Dakas
17. Dr. Fitka Steve
18. Dr. Patrick Sunday Dakum
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Chief Dr. Amos Y Gizo
Dr. Danyaro Dakom Sarpiya
Chairman/Convener
Secretary