TheCable

Simon Lalong, governor of Plateau state, says unlike the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) which is still embroiled in controversies over its candidate for the Ondo state governorship election, the All Progressives Congress (APC) has spoken with a voice.

Addressing state house correspondents on Monday, Lalong, who is chairman of the APC campaign committee for the Ondo poll, said it was wrong for the PDP to be asking Buhari to help it resolve its internal crisis.

He advised the opposition party to take a cue from it which does not “run” to the president when there are problems.

Lalong asked Olusegun Mimiko, his Ondo counterpart, to learn how to resolve the crisis in his state.

“Let me say it was even wrong for them to start running to Mr. President to help them solve the problem in their party,” he said.

“Mr President is the president of Nigeria and he is not a member of PDP. Even when we have problems in APC, we don’t run to Mr President.

“If he (Mimiko) has a problem in his state, he is the governor, let him stay there and resolve the matter.

“It’s a matter between PDP and PDP, and those matters are in court. So, why should you run to the president? Is the president the chief judge of Nigeria? He is not the INEC chairman either.”

Lalong boasted that the APC would win the election just as it did in Kogi and Edo states.

On Friday, Mimiko visited President Muhammadu Buhari to intimate him of the fallout of the decision of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to pick Jimoh Ibrahim of the Ali Modu Sheriff faction over Eyitayo Jegede of the Ahmed Makarfi group.

Though the commission backed up its decision with a court order, supporters of Jegede would have none of that.

They trooped to the streets chanting abusive songs and setting up bonfires on major roads in Akure and Owo towns.

Blaming INEC for the disturbances, Mimiko accused the electoral body of attempting to set the state on fire.