The immediate past Governor of Plateau State and Senator representing Plateau South Senatorial District in the National Assembly, Simon Lalong, has advocated for the appointment of a Minister from the state to fill in the gap his exit created at the Federal Executive Council.
Speaking at a stakeholders’ meeting at the Plateau State All Progressives Congress, APC, at the party’s Secretariat, Kalwa House Jos, Lalong lamented that denying the state its constitutional ministerial slot for eight months is unfair.
He said, “It is not fair that the Plateau State remained for eight months without a minister. I said that and told Mr. President that it is not fair”.
Lalong further stressed, “Whatever would stop us, we want it removed to have our Minister. It is constitutional, and we are entitled to it.”
According to him, the president is a Democrat. He added that he has a listening ear, and I am sure he will do something about it by the time he comes back so that we have our minister.
He also faulted the non-swearing-in of the APC members-elect until a compromised letter of resignation was signed.
According to the former governor, the duty of swearing in members lies with the Speaker of the House, who needed nothing to accomplish that but the certificate of return and the code of conduct, which the members in question presented, thus showing their eligibility to be sworn in.
He faulted the statement attributed to the Speaker, claiming that despite the court order to swear in the members-elect, it was at his (Speaker’s) discretion, not the courts, to do so.
Lalong said there is nowhere such an act ever ensued in Nigeria, and it has no constitutional backing, stressing that the Speaker and all members of the House must do what is needed by swearing in the remaining six members-elect for justice to take its course.