‘Not True,’ Gov. Lalong Denies Dumping APC

Plateau State governor Simon Lalong has dismissed reports suggesting he was considering dumping the All Progressives Congress for the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

Lalong, in a statement by the State Commissioner for Information and Communication, Mr Yakubu Dati, on Thursday, said he never contemplated leaving the APC.

Dati was reacting to a statement credited to an eleder statesman Ambassador Yahaya Kwande, alleging that the governor was considering joining the PDP.

Kwande gave the shocking insight of a future possibility, when he accompanied, the former Vice President (VP), Atiku Abubakar to the Plateau State PDP secretariat to woo delegates to elect him (Atiku) as the PDP’s candidate for the 2019 presidential election.

“You should know that all the contesting governors have been coming to consult with me one after the other. Although I am still in APC, Atiku is a person I have in mind to support.

“The people of Plateau know from history that whoever I support at this level will definitely win in an election, just as I showcased the incumbent Governor of Plateau state that led to his victory.

“However, with the way things are going now in Nigeria, people should not be surprised if they see Governor Lalong and I in the PDP,” the elder statesman said.

But Dati, who described the statement as untrue, called on the general public to disregard the claim, saying it only exists in the imagination of its promoters.

The statement reads, “The attention of the Plateau State Government has been drawn to an alleged statement credited to an elder statesman, Amb. Yahaya Kwande, alluding that the Executive Governor of Plateau, Simon Bako Lalong may defect to the People’s Democratic Party.

“There is no truth in the statement and Gov. Lalong who is the sole candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship primaries, has never contemplated nor discussed such disastrous proposition with anyone.”

The commissioner said that the clarification became necessary so as not to mislead well-meaning citizens who have expressed concern.