Plateau Ak-47 Brouhaha: Stop making a storm in a Tea cup,APC lashes PDP over Lalong’s comment

From Francis Nanssk

Following the recent interview the Plateau state Governor Barrister Simon Bako Lalong, granted to Channel Television,that has degenerated to diverse mischievous interpretations from especially the PDP, the ruling All Progressive Congress Plateau state chapter has descended with knocks against the opposition misconception and fallacious reactions.

In a statement signed the the APC,state secretary,Mallam Bashir Sati and made available to newsmen on Wednesday,described the opposition
as confused faction of the PDP in Plateau State.

Stating that the PDP is at it again! – making a storm in a tea cup over Governor Lalong’s comments during an interview on Channels TV on Tuesday 23rd February 2021 where he was alleged to have said that not only herdsmen carry arms.

According to the statement which reads in parts, asserted that predictably, the ever crude factional spokesman of the moribund party in Plateau State John T. Akans came out smoking from all cylinders in an attempt to resurrect the evaporated fortunes of the rejected PDP which has since been rejected by the good people of Plateau.

The statement further informed that “Apart from his mumbled rambling in the uncoordinated Press Release, he was sighted on different social media platforms dissipating energy in trying to make maximum gains from the Governor’s appearance on the program. He viciously circulated a 34 seconds portion from the almost one hour interview with the hope to inflict massive damage on the Governor and the APC.

“Alas, he succeeded hugely among the few, dispersed, gullible and disgruntled members of the faction of his party and a few other haters of Governor Lalong who derive pleasure in any venture that derides the Governor, and in their view capable of pulling him down using their usual score cards of religion, ethnicity and hate.

“Sadly and very unfortunately, the total mission of the factional spokesman and his tattered faction failed woefully among majority of the people of the State and others around the world who are discerning, informed, intelligent and dispassionate in looking at issues from broad perspectives rather than the myopic tendencies of the dead PDP and remnant of its scattered flock”, the statement reads.

It further highlighted that in the benefit of those who did not watch the interview but relied on the propaganda extraction by Spokesman Akans and his team,” Here is what has generated sleepless nights for those the PDP want to brainwash.

“Today, we are now seeing the hazard of allowing people do open grazing here and there. But they (herders) also want solution; by the time you explain to them, they also want to stay in one place, they would also want to keep away from carrying AK-47. I’m not justifying anybody to carry AK-47 but don’t forget that in the course of our deliberations and investigations, it was not only Fulani herdsmen that were carrying AK-47, even farmers were carrying AK-47 to protect themselves.

“This is because of the failure of the security architecture which we must address immediately” The governor’s points on Channels TV.

The statement wonders how this self-explanatory and patriotic comment has become a feast for the factional PDP opposition group beats the imagination because those who are objective cannot take just 34 seconds to analyse a one hour interview. Besides, the out-of-context voyage of the PDP does not hold water as they are inputing what the Governor never said.

For the benefit of the doubt, the Governor never encouraged or endorsed herdsmen bearing arms. Neither did he support any other group such as farmers, mechanics, kidnappers, politicians, cultists and other unauthorized persons in carrying AK-47 and other weapons.

He merely cited the fact that because of the failure of security system, non-state actors including herders, farmers, etc are carrying arms, a situation that must be addressed quickly.

“But the PDP faction twisted it to appeal to their isolated, gullible and disgruntled followers particularly on the social media by saying that Governor Lalong accused farmers of carrying arms. What an ingenious lie!

“The question is, if the Governor wanted to make such direct accusation, will it be on TV? Is the PDP faction now the Chief security officer of the State? Do they have the intelligence report that the Governor has? Are they making excuses for people in possession of unlicensed arms? What point are they really trying to make? What is their goal?

The APC in a final advice to the PDP warned the party and its myriad of factions to stop making wild and inciting statements that further divide and polarise the people.

Saying they should either key into the consolidation of peace, security and the search for unity in Plateau State and Nigeria championed by Governor Lalong or keep their peace.