The Plateau State governor, Simon Lalong, has declared his intention to seek re-election in the 2019 general election under the platform of the APC.
But the Plateau State chairman of APC, Latep Dabang, told journalists after the meeting on Friday in Jos that Lalong’s declaration “does not foreclose any other chieftain of the party from contesting because there would be party primaries.”
According to him, the declaration by the governor was coincidental as it was not part of the agenda of the meeting.
The governor was said to have made the declaration during the stakeholders’ meeting of the APC held in Yelwa Club, Bukuru in Jos.
The meeting had in attendance, the entire APC leadership in the state, Deputy Governor, Prof. Sonni Tyoden and members of the State Executive Council, Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Peter Azi, members of the Parliament as well as members of the National Assembly.
Dabang said, “Governor Lalong has formally declared his intention to contest the 2019 governorship election on the platform of the APC.
“We are democrats and can’t stop anybody from contesting. However, the governor won’t get automatic ticket because we will surely conduct primaries. But for now, governor Simon Bako Lalong is the one that has publicly declared that he would contest this election come 2019 on the platform of the APC. If there are others, we cannot stop them from contesting.
“The declaration of the governor was not part of the agenda. But at the end of the meeting, there were motions by party faithfuls requesting the governor to clear the air on whether he would contest the 2019 elections or not. And the governor took time to also inform the gathering that as a matter of fact, there has been that pressure from all sectors, including some from the political setting and the Plateau State Youth Council and quite a number of spirited party faithfuls who have have been drumming support for him to seek a second term in office.
PUNCH
