By Abel Daniel

LAFIA—Former Minister of Information and governorship aspirant on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Mr. Labaran Maku has said that the award of the Commander of the Order on the Niger, CON, on him by President Goodluck Jonathan would enable him champion the crusade for peaceful co-existence in Nasarawa State if elected governor in 2015.

Maku, who was received by a large crowd of supporters across the state asked the All Progressives Congress, APC, to get ready to pack out of the government house as its time was over.

Labaran Maku

Maku spoke in an interview with newsmen, shortly after attending the party’s stakeholders meeting at the party secretariat in Lafia yesterday.

“I am very convinced that the peace which has eluded the state since APC took over the mantle of leadership is about to be restored. The national award of the CON is a sign of authority vested in me to champion the restoration of peace if elected as governor,” Maku said.

He said he had been a loyal party man since he joined the party, and was among those who had stood with the party through thick and thin and asked the party to stand by him to become the next governor of the state.

According to him, the PDP would win the governorship race in the state going by the outcome of the recent local government election where the party won 12 out of the 13 local government councils, although the APC hijacked six of the local governments where certificates of returns were issued to PDP but APC members were sworn in.

“I am fully loaded with the wealth of experience I got right from when I was a school teacher to when I became a national students’ union leader in the university. As a journalist and a political editor with the Champion newspaper, I know all about the state. I appeal to my colleagues in the media to give me their support as one of their own so that at least out of the 36 states it won’t be bad if a journalist controls one. I have all it takes to fix the state again,” Maku assured.