Tension In Jos As Election Tribunal Set To Rule On Plateau Governor Election

There is palpable tension in Plateau State as the Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal sitting in Jos, the state capital, is set to deliver judgment in the petition brought before it by the Peoples Democratic Party and its candidate, GNS Pwajok, challenging the election of Barrister Simon Bako Lalong as the governor of Plateau State in the April 2015 governorship election. Lalong contested on the platform of the All Progressives Congress. Chieftains of both the APC and PDP are already flexing muscles on the outcome of the case. There are indications that the judgement will be delivered on Monday. Disturbed by this growing threat, the PDP Youth Forum in the state has called on its members to remain calm whatever way the outcome of the judgement. In a press statement by the state Chairman of the forum, Joel Jonathan, the Forum attacked the APC. Jonathan said the state Secretary of the APC, Alhaji Musa Sati, had in a comment insinuated that some people are planning insurrection in the event that the judgment does not go in their favour. The chairman urged the security agencies to hold Sati responsible in the event of any crisis since he knows of a plan to destabilize the state. The statement said: “It will be recalled that the 2008 LG election crises started when the opposition party then lost the elections and brought their unruly supporters to kill and maim innocent citizens as a way of venting their anger for the populace rejection of an alien party in the state. “We pray the APC is not trying to adopt the policy of accusing the PDP of what it is planning to do like past by unleashing terror to innocent citizens.” Jonathan also condemned a situation where Governor Lalong and his deputy traveled to Israel with their spouses and their aides, leaving the state without direction and at a time when salaries and allowances of workers and pensioners have not been settled. According to the Chairman: “This is the highest sense of recklessness and carelessness towards the peoples’ welfare. “The PDP Youth Forum condemns in totality, the recent posting of Civil Servants based on ethnic and religious biases where the people of Shendam and Mangu were favoured to the detriment of other tribes. “The Forum calls for the cancellation of the posting, allowing the proper thing, justice and fairness to be seen to be done so as not to bastardize the Plateau State Civil Service. The retired and reversed Permanent Secretaries that were unduly treated be given justice, fairness and equality to boost their morale.” - See more at: http://www.naijaloaded.com.ng/2015/10/26/tension-in-jos-as-election-tribunal-set-to-rule-on-plateau-governor-election/#sthash.4dmuKaNO.dpuf