A pressure group under the All Progressives Congress (APC), Plateau Progressive Movement (PPM), has expressed concern about the delay in the appointment of a minister from the state to replace the immediate past Minister of Labour and Productivity, Senator Simon Lalong, who resigned late last year.
The group urged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to micro-zone Lalong’s replacement to the Plateau Central Senatorial which has produced just one minister since 1999.
The group in a statement issued in Jos on Friday and signed by its chairman, Mr. Danjuma Song, called on Tinubu to expedite action to fill up the gap created by Lalong’s exit with the right choice.
The group, however, rooted for the choice of Chief Amos Gizo, a former APC governorship aspirant as Lalong’s replacement.
It argued that Lalong is from Plateau South senatorial zone, which has produced six ministers since 1999, namely Pauline Tallen (twice), Fidelis Tapgun and his sister, Josephine Tapgun, Solomon Dalung, and, lately, Lalong.
The group also noted that out of the six ministers produced by Plateau South in the past 25 years (the zone has many ethnic groups), all of the above appointees are from Shendam, Lalong’s Goemai ethnic group, except for Solomon Dalung, a Taroh man, from Langtang South LGA.
The group further explained that like Lalong’s Plateau South, Plateau North senatorial zone has similarly produced five ministers within the same period: Damishi Sango, Mark Aku, Musa Izam, Dasuki Nakande, and Sarah Ochekpe, and they were all picked from different ethnic groups in the zone, namely, Ganawuri, Rukuba, Afizere, Hausa-Fulani and Berom, in that order.
“Plateau Central Senatorial Zone, on the other hand, has, however, produced only one minister in the person of Amb. Bagudu Hirse since 1999! Paradoxically, this is a zone which, from available verifiable records, returns the highest votes for the APC in virtually all elections since the formation of our party about 10 years ago.”
It listed among others, prominent APC chieftain, Chief Amos Gizo, who has been Asiwaju’s close political ally in the last 22 years; Dr Danlami Lenkop; Prof. CJ Dakas, SAN, and former deputy governor of the state, Prof Sonnie Tyoden, among others.
“To this end, the PPM would like to boldly and unequivocally suggest, without any sentiments, Chief Gizo, who hails from Kanam LGA in the Central Zone, and who towers far above the aforementioned available ministerial options, based on his unmatched political pedigree and trajectory of experience, loyalty, maturity and competence.”
