FEATURES: Jang’s Choice Of Successor Sparks Crisis In Plateau

By Agabus Pwanagba, Jos

As build – up to the Plateau governorship contest gathers momentum, the People of Qua’an Pan Local Government area of the state, on Monday made good their demand to the state Deputy Governor, Mr.Ignatius Longjan, by presenting to him, the governorship nomination form with a repeated call to him to contest the coming election.

Plateau state governor Jonah Jang

Speaking at the presentation at the Deputy Governor’s Lodge in Rayfield Jos, a member, representing Qua’an-Pan North Constituency in the State’s House of Assembly, Hon. Joe Dawam, said the call to him was initiated by the people of the Council.

“We the people of Qua’an-Pan Local Government Area and the Southern Senatorial Zone have associated ourselves fully with the Deputy Governor’s progressive vision for Plateau State.

“We have resolved and urging our Son and Father, Hon. Ignatius Datong Longjan to come out and contest the 2015 Governorship election in Plateau State without further delay as this is our modest contribution towards the actualization of our collective dream to occupy Government House come May, 29th, 2015” Dawam stated.

The legislator added: “We the people of the State deem it necessary not only to compel him to vie for the governorship but have gone ahead to purchase and expression of interest form to enable him vie for the governorship race in the forthcoming elections”.

In his remarks, an elder statesman and a former ally of Governor Jonah Jang, Bulus Dareng, described Longjan as a committed and loyal Deputy to his boss – the outgoing Governor.

He maintained that Longjan had played a vital role in the Jang – led administration.

Dareng, one time intimate friend of the State Governor, insisted that Longjan has the qualities of a leader and called on him to obey the call of the people of the State.

Responding, Longjan, said he remained thankful to Governor Jang’ss fruitful and successful administration which has impacted positively on the socio-economic lives of the people as well as the environmental, human and physical infrastructural development of the State.

“The people of Qua’an-Pan Local Government Area are sincerely grateful to Governor Jonah Jang, for the rare opportunities so far given to their sons and daughters to serve in various capacities in his administration” the DG stressed.

He thereafter consented to their demand, by declaring that he would contest the state’s governorship election.

It is worthy to note the mix reactions which continue to trail what is widely believed in the state to be a planned work by Governor Jang to handover to someone from his Berom ethnic group of in 2015, as a former National Chairman of the Nigerian Population Commission, (NPC), Chief Samuila Danko Makama has vowed the State would not support another candidate from Jang’s ethnic group.

Makama, a Chieftain of the ruling People’s Democratic Party (PDP) stated this in Jos, the Plateau state capital last weekend, while reacting to the rumour making rounds that Senator Gyang Pwajok was Jang’s successor.