Nentawe should replace Lalong as Minister — APC chieftain

As former Plateau State Governor, Simon Lalong vacates his ministerial seat to go to the Senate, a Chieftain of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Lumumba Adeh has asked that the Governorship candidate of the APC, Nentawe Goshwe be given the right of first refusal to be appointed as the Minister from the State.

This is as a group, Plateau Youths Liberation Movement, PYLM also asked that Goshwe be given the slot to reduce the political impasse in the State.

Adeh, a former Member, of the House of Representatives, in a statement said, “As a loyal party member and one of the leaders of our great party, the APC, in Plateau State, I find it pertinent to add my voice to the raging debate over who should be appointed as minister of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, when the current minister, Rt. Hon. Simon Lalong resigns his appointment and resumes at the Senate where he has been duly elected.

“I make this submission with all sense of responsibility and for the unity and growth of our Party in Plateau State. As the debate over who will take the ministerial position rages, it is my considered opinion that the interest of the APC and its growth should be the watchword rather than selfish interests.

“Members of the APC would recall that there are wounds arising from the conduct of the Party primaries in the last elections which have not yet healed and I believe this is the right time for us as committed Party members to put our house in order and continue in ways that would be less prone to creating more acrimony and suspicion. In that regard, I posit that to avoid unnecessary rancour and to earn the respect of Abuja, the position of the minister should be reserved for our governorship candidate, Prof. Goshwe Nentawe until he declares otherwise.

“I am not unaware that he is currently the governor-elect having won at the Appeal Court and that Nentawe is only a step to occupying the exalted position. While we are hopeful that the Supreme Court would dispense with the governorship case in our favour however, we would be showing the candidate the immense respect and honour he deserves if we defer to him in terms of making nomination to that exalted office…”

He added, “We will call on the President not to make an appointment to that office but wait for the outcome of the Supreme Court verdict in the governorship case so that in the unlikely event that the case does not favour us, (God forbid) the Party would be able to compensate Nentawe with the ministerial position for his tenacity and doggedness which has rubbed positively on the party leading to its good performance at the 2023 governorship election.

“This is more so as the Central zone, where he hails from, has been the most marginalized in terms of ministerial positions since 1999. Again by doing so, we shall be able to prepare and fortify him for the next election in 2027 since he has shown capacity. If however the expected happens and Nentawe is declared governor, we will be showing both him and the office of the governor respect by allowing him to nominate who should be the Minister.”

The PYLM through their Acting Coordinator, Jephta Joshua, during a press conference in Jos on Friday noted, that “With the issuing of a certificate of return by INEC to Mr. Simon Lalong, the Minister for Labour and Employment, as Senator-elect representing Plateau South Zone, a vacuum has been created. We, therefore, appeal to the President to appoint Dr Nentawe Goshwe, as Minister from Plateau. We believe this will reduce the political impasse in the state.

“We also call on the President to support Gov. Caleb Mutfwang to succeed as Governor of Plateau. Mutfwang emerged through a popular mandate. This does not in any way mean that the people rejected Nentawe but is an indication that his time to be Governor has not yet come. Gov. Mutfwang has started on a good note, his developmental strides and political will to take Plateau to greater heights and place it on the world map have necessitated this appeal.

“Therefore, he needs all the support from the federal government to enable him to sustain the good work he has started.”