Gov. Lalong not against Peter Obi’s N2m march - Information Commissioner

Kingsley Chukwuka

September 18, 2022 5:36 PM

The Plateau State Government has distanced itself from the rumor making the rounds that Governor Simon Lalong has plotted to halt the two million man march for the Labour Party Presidential candidate, Peter Obi, taking place in the State on Saturday, 17, September, 2022.

Hon-Dan-Manjang-Commissioner-of-Information-and-Communication-Plateau-State

The Commissioner for Information and Communication, Mr. Dan Manjang, in a statement signed on Thursday, September 15, 2022, said the Governor is too busy with state and national issues to be distracted with the affairs of another political party.

He pointed out specifically that Lalong did not in any way engage the Plateau State Police Command to stop the proposed two million man march for Obi/Datti, as equally being speculated.

Pulse reports that a planned two million man march was scheduled for Saturday in Jos for all the Labour Party candidates contesting various political offices in the state with the former Anambra Governor, Peter Obi being the main focus.

Since the announcement of the rally over a month ago, there have been speculations that the government is not comfortable with the planned rally and would work to disrupt it.

However, as the rally draws close, speculations on social media space rent the air that Lalong has instructed the Police commissioner to stop the march.

Responding, the Information Commissioner said: "Under normal circumstances we would have ignored the rumor for various reasons. However doing so would authenticate the machinations of the authors as silence will mean consent.

"In that light therefore I make bold to outrightly distance the Governor, Simon Lalong and by extension the State government, its agencies and machinery of State from such malicious publication, conjectures and innuendoes.

"The Governor’s hands are full with State and burning national issues and he will not condescend so low to bother with the business of another political party.

"We State that at no time has the government issued any directive for the stoppage of such a march by any group or individuals related to the purported march.

"The State government therefore urges the public to discountenance such mischief and desperation and continue to have faith in the APC in the State, whose focus is to deliver its promises to the people of the State, who overwhelmingly voted the APC into office in 2015 and 2019.

"When the ban on political activities is lifted, the APC as the ruling party in the State will roll out its machinery to engage the people. For now, the Government will not be distracted by the campaigns of calumny and mischief", Manjang said.

Pulse reports that the Plateau State Labour party has been a factional state with two candidates laying claim to the governorship ticket, an issue which is also a factor in the planned rally with both factions claiming to lead the rally.

Kingsley Chukwuka