Hon Ponzip Sanda popularly known as ZIPPER, the Liaison Officer to Distinguished Senator Napoleon Binkap Bali, has urged the former Governor of Plateau State, Barr Simon Bako Lalong to stop living in self-denial and accept the political reality that APC in Plateau State has gone into extinction. Hon Zipper said this while responding to the declaration made by the former Governor that “APC remains the most popular party in Plateau State and will strategize to win the 2027 polls”
Addressing APC stakeholders today at Kalwa House, Jos, the State Secretariat of the APC in Plateau State, Sen Simon Bako Lalong said APC remains the most popular party in Plateau State and will strategize to win the 2027 polls. Sen Lalong said APC in Plateau State has accepted the verdict of the Supreme Court concerning the Governorship election but insisted that the High Court judgement that restrained PDP from contesting the Local Government Elections in the State during his time as the governor is the most reasonable judgement. Lalong warned his learned colleagues from making further comments on the judgement until the Certified True Copy that the APC applied for is made available.
But in a swift response to the former Governor’s claim, Hon Sanda wondered how Lalong who was defeated heavily with the margin of over 57,170 votes as at the time he was the incumbent governor, Chairman of the Northern Governor’s Forum and Director General of the APC Presidential Campaign will suddenly think that the party is popular in the State.
The grassroots political mobilizer analogically said the statement credited to the former governor can be likened to a child who keeps mute in the presence of his challenger only to boast about beating the challenger in his absence. He said the wasted mandate by governor Lalong for eight years remains his political bankruptcy that will hunt him anytime he faces the electorates
Sen Napoleon Bali was controversially ousted from the Red Chambers of the National Assembly by the Court of Appeal to pave way for the former Governor. Hon Sanda boasted that “if elections are conducted 10 times, APC and Lalong will be defeated 10 times”. He reminded Barr Lalong that “elections are won at the polling units and not controversially in court”. He regretted that Lalong who had the ample opportunity of representing the zone as Speaker of the House of Assembly and again as Governor for eight years only left the zone grossly underdeveloped. He said Lalong squandered the political goodwill of the good people of Plateau South Senatorial District hence his total and outright rejection by the people at the polls in the 2023 general elections.
Hon Sanda said the achievements of Governor Caleb Manasseh Mutfwang and political leadership so far in less than a year are enough political currency that outweighs the Lalong’s imaginary legacy for eight years as governor. He advised Lalong to be a good political student and watch with keen interest how mandate freely given by the people at the polls is utilized for the good of the people. He further challenged the former Governor to show the self-acclaimed APC popularity in the State come Saturday 3rd February 2024 during the rerun elections of Jos North/Bassa Federal Constituency and Plateau North Senatorial election
It will be recalled that the former Commander of the Presidential Air Fleet and number two man of the Nigerian Airforce, Distinguished Senator Napoleon Binkap Bali who served the country meritoriously, comfortably won the former governor at the polls during the 2023 elections. He won 5 out of the 6 Local Governments that made up the zone. Just yesterday, 30th January, 2024 Air Vice Marshall Napoleon Binkap Bali was appointed Chairman of Plateau State Security Committee. His committee is expected to bring to bear it’s wealth of experience in security management to help the government tackle the security challenges bedevilling the State
