Lalong swears-in LG chairmen at night ahead of court injunction

Governor Simon Bako Lalong of Plateau State, Friday night, swore in newly appointed transitional committee chairmen and their secretaries.

Daily Trust reports that Lalong had on June 28 dissolved local government transitional committees he appointed two years ago.

The dissolution had raised hopes that he would immediately put in place machinery to conduct local government election.

However, the APC-led government went ahead to select another set of transitional committee chairmen secretaries and whose appointments have been plagued with petitions and protests.

Allegations were rife that Lalong filled most of the positions with members who recently joined the party at the detriment of those who worked for the APC in its early days.

Besides, the PDP had filed a motion before the state High Court on Wednesday to stop the swearing in, but by Thursday, the file was said to have gone missing while the state government, on the same day, sent the list of the chairmen to the Plateau State House of Assembly.

On its part, the state assembly purportedly scrutinised and cleared all the nominees that same day and returned the list to the governor.

PDP Publicity Secretary in the state, John Akans, told Daily Trust, yesterday, that they would be in court today to know the next line of action.

“The governor is legitimising illegality which is why he went ahead to swear them in at night. He is now repeating the same impunity all over,” he said.

But the Director of Press and Public Affairs to the governor, Samuel Emmanuel Nanle, said the swearing in was earlier scheduled for 3pm but had to be delayed because the governor could not arrive from Abuja on schedule.