A group, the All Progressives Congress Elders Advisory Council in Plateau State, has endorsed President Muhammadu Buhari and Governor Simon Lalong of the state for re-election.
The group announced its decision through a statement read at a press conference in Jos on Friday by its chairman, Joseph Din, a retired Nigerian Army Captain.
“We hereby unanimously endorse President Muhammadu Buhari as President of Nigeria come 2019 and Rt, Hon.Barr. Simon Bako Lalong as Governor of Plateau State come 2019,” the group stated.
“We support Buhari because he has shown us beyond reasonable doubts that he has the will power to curtail any insurgency.”
Mr. Din said the decision of the group was reached after wide consultations and observation of the activities of the president and governor over the last two and a half years they have been in office.
According to the elders, President Buhari has done well, therefore, he should be given a second term to complete the good works he has started.
“This is so because Buhari’s government has the political will to defeat the insurgency. No president can say throughout his tenure there were no skirmishes, so he can not exempt himself,” he said.
The group said President Buhari did not promise “heaven on earth to Nigerians, during his electioneering.
“When President Buhari was taking over, he did not promise Nigerians that it was going to be rosy all through, he admitted that Nigerians were going to face challenges in the short term and then rejoice for a long time.”
According to the group, President Buhari has been able to fix the Nigerian economy.
“Nigeria produced 15 million metric tonnes of rice in 2017 alone, we are the largest exporter of yams the world over and are the largest producer of cassava the world over.”
In Plateau State, the elders said Governor Lalong had been able to restore peace in the state.
“Here in Plateau State, our governor Rt Hon Barr. Simon Bako Lalong is also making us proud, even by restoring peace to our dear state. He has institutionalised peace building and reconciliation through establishment of peace building agency in the state.”
Mr. Din also applauded the governor’s efforts in boosting revenue generation of the state.
“He is in the process of rebuilding the burnt Jos mini market to boost economic activities in the state.”
Members of the group cut cross the 17 local government areas of Plateau State.
They include two former deputy governors, one of whom is Ignatius Longjan who was the deputy governor to Jonah Jang.
Mr. Jang, a member of the opposition PDP, is now a senator.
Also present at the conference were Jethro Akun, a former Minister of Information; Dasuki Nakande, former Director-General of Industrial Training Fund (ITF); Longmas Wakmuk; and Pam Gyang, a 2007 governorship aspirant on the platform of the defunct All Nigeria Peoples Party.
