IT is longer news that the elections are over, results announced in all states where elections were conducted and cases of contested results are ongoing at the tribunals.

By Marie-therese nanlong

Again, it is known that Plateau State where the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP held sway for 16 years is now being controlled by the All Progressives Congress, APC though the former still has the majority in the State House of Assembly as 13 of the 24 members are from the PDP and 16 (14 elected and two appointed) of the 17 Local Council chairmen are from the PDP.

Simon Lalong

The ruling and opposition parties having realized the need to exert their influence in their own rights have commenced moves to show their supremacy in the state.

While the APC members insist that as the government in power they ought to determine what goes on, PDP members are quick to remind the ruling party that they have the majority in the legislature  and therefore should be respected.

However, the APC is not ready to tolerate anything that would undermine its authority going by how it has ruled the state in the last one month.

APC moves against PDP

Though there has been slow take-off of activities in the state. Governor Simon Lalong  is  still being awaited to fulfil the promises the APC made to the people who saw the party as a necessary evil before the elections even though he reached a truce with the protesting civil servants with some of them resuming.

However, the governor does not appear slow in dealing with issues that concerns the PDP.

First, he ‘dethroned’ Nanmwa Kumzhi of the PDP, as the Chairman of Langtang North Local Government Council and got Daniel Dul sworn-in.

Kumzhi was declared duly elected by the Plateau State Independent Electoral Commission, PASIEC in the last Local Government election, a decision that was greeted with mass protest as the electorate said Kumzhi’s opponent, Daniel Dul of the Democratic People’s Party, DPP was their choice.

Dul challenged the result at the election tribunal and the Appeal tribunal delivered the verdict in his favour but the immediate past governor, Jonah Jang refused to comply with the tribunal’s decisions until he left office last May.

That Dul was eventually sworn-in after a year in limbo is no longer news however, the PDP see this as a witch-hunt even though, it appears more surprises are in offing for the party.

Lalong, who just returned from a foreign trip where he went to refresh to tackle the challenges before him, has had to test the viability of his emergence in a contest in the House of Assembly, he once superintended.

Election of House speaker

The Litmus Test was the selection of the Speaker of the State House of Assembly, where the PDP has a majority.

Local government chairmen in the state; who are all PDP members except Dan Dul of the DPP were expected to play significant roles in who becomes the speaker, considering the fact that their party is in the majority with 13 of the 24-members.

Surprisingly, there was a tie of 12-12 as apparently, one of the PDP lawmakers gave his vote to the APC to make the result even. Series of meetings were held but at the end, Istifanus Mwansat, the PDP candidate for the seat threw in the towel to allow Peter Azi of APC, his co-contestant Azi to emerge as the speaker.

It is assumed that the tantrum by the PDP in the affairs of the new administration was aimed at unsettling the APC in the state, hence, the need for the APC to act swiftly and stamp its authority immediately.

Recognizing the authority the APC is exercising, the former State ALGON boss and embattled Chairman of Shendam Local Government Area, Kemi Nshe, is angling for the intervention of Governor Lalong who hails from that council to save him as his councillors have rebelled against him.

Nshe, an influential PDP member from the Southern zone of the state, kicked loudly during Jang’s administration when the former governor and his Deputy, Noel Nkup were suspended by the Legislative Arm of the Council on alleged financial impropriety and a committee was set up to investigate the allegation.

It seems that the Governor has no intention of getting involved in the issue though he directed the Director of Personnel Management, DPM of the Council, Mrs. Elizabeth Dakol to take over the leadership of the council to “avoid vacuum in leadership.”

In a press statement issued in Jos and signed by Mr. Emmanuel Nanle, the Director of Press and Public Affairs to Governor Simon Lalong, he said: “Following the suspension of the Chairman of Shendam Local Government Council; Hon. Nicholas Kemi Nshe and his Deputy, Hon. Noel Nkup by the Legislative Arm of the Council, the Executive Governor, Mr. Simon Lalong has directed the Director of Personnel Management to immediately take-charge and superintend over the administrative affairs of the Local Government Council.

Legislative process

“The Executive Governor in this intervention has taken cognizance of the fact that the suspension is a legislative process guided by the constitution and that a vacuum cannot be allowed in the leadership of the Local Government Council.”

He has further directed the State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Nasiru Oki to “do the needful in ensuring that there is no breakdown of law and order in the Local Government Area or interruption of the administrative set up, given the current state of affairs.”

Meanwhile, Chairmen of the other local government areas are not resting on their oars as they are working hard to ensure they complete their tenure in office.

Though the governor promised he would not dissolve the councils before the expiration of their tenure, Vanguard gathered the party is prevailing on the Governor to do so but it is left to be seen who gets the upper hand at the end of the day.

As the parties engage in the fight for supremacy, the expectation of every Plateau citizen is that there will be good governance, peace and security.