Plateau PDP to Lalong: Account for N2.1bn spending

Lalong

The Peoples Democratic Party in Plateau State has called on former Governor Simon Lalong to account for the N2.1bn spent on demolishing the Jos main market during his administration.

The PDP made the call on Wednesday, in a statement issued by the party’s state Publicity Secretary, Jonathan Amande.

“The PDP hereby calls on the former governor to account for the reported N2.1bn his administration used for the demolition of the Jos main market.

“The party demands accountability regarding how the funds were utilised, how rods were sold, and where the accruals went.

“The people of Plateau need satisfactory answers. Otherwise, an unavoidable formal investigation into the matter will ensue,” the statement stated.

Lalong was governor of Plateau State between 2015 and 2023 on the platform of the All Progressives Congress, and after his tenure, he contested for Plateau South Senate seat and lost but the Court of Appeal later declared him winner.

The PDP’s demand comes amid Lalong’s recent address to traders at the burnt Terminus Market in the Jos North Local Government Area.

Governor Caleb Mutfwang had announced plans to move the market to another location in the Mararaba Jamaa community of Jos South Local Government Area for reconstruction.

The PDP described Lalong’s administration as “clueless” and marked by “wastage, mismanagement of public resources, lack of capacity to work with constructive advisers, and zero innovation.”

They emphasised that rebuilding the market aligns with the current administration’s vision for rapid development in the state, particularly with the African Development Bank’s allocation of a Special Agro Processing Zone near the Foron area.

The statement read, “The Peoples Democratic Party, Plateau State chapter, is surprised at the comic public display by the former captain of the failed APC administration in Plateau State, Rt Hon Simon Bako Lalong, while addressing traders at the recently burnt Terminus Market and the resolve of the people’s Governor, His Excellency Caleb Manasseh Mutfwang, to rebuild the market in a strategic location at Mararaban Jama’a.