PDP flags off campaign for Plateau LG polls

As the Plateau State local government elections hot up, Chairmanship candidate of Shendam local government council on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Dr. Kemi Nicholas Nshe, has flagged off his campaign with a tumultuous crowd of supporters jubilating.

They said without Nshe, no other candidate is fit for the position because of his track record of excellent performance when he was elected on the same party platform for eight years as local government chairman during the reign of Senator Jonah Jang as governor for the same eight years.

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In 2015, the All Progressives Congress (APC) won the governorship election, and Senator Simon Lalong was elected governor and spent eight years, but all the local government council chairmen in the state were elected or endorsed as there was no election while all the PDP candidates were disqualified.

“There was a gap when APC spent eight years. Kemi Nshe had had enough rest. He can come back now under PDP,” commented Stylian Haamnaak, a councillorship candidate of Kurumgbou “A” Ward in Shendam also on the PDP platform.

Other political parties in the council contesting with PDP are the APC, Labour Party (LP), and the African Democratic Party (ADP).

With a large and long convoy of supporters and well-wishers, the PDP candidate went around the major streets of Shendam waving and greeting the people and drove straight to the Long-Gamai Palace to seek the royal blessing of His Royal Majesty Martin Shaldas, who in turn blessed him.

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Nshe addressed the supporters at the Mini Stadium in Shendam, where he said that what they went through for the last month was not pleasant at all with Shendam people.

He explained that anywhere they went, including Jos, the state capital, and elsewhere, “the issue had been Shendam that they would fight.”

But he assured the people that anybody who facilitated the fight will do that at his own risk because Governor Caleb Mutfwang has come to put a smile on the faces of the people.

The chairmanship candidate implored all and sundry that the events of the past should be allowed to rest, adding that if they had not done that, some people known for such actions in the past would not have had the benevolence to enjoy the present dispensation.

According to him, “The people who are doing this are the same people who enjoyed their PDP votes. They came and unleashed terror on our people. They came and don’t want us to elect our members. We are PDP members. Let us put the past behind us and forge ahead.

“And I am sure, PDP will not be the same again. We are going to elect responsible people. We are going to come back to where we used to be. Today, it is clear and glaring. If you are not there, because all the people who are shouting are the stems of this house. They are stems, not the root.

“And therefore, there is no how that a stem can grow without the root. And therefore, the root has taken over. So, we are begging all to come so that we can work together. If you want to work with us, come and work with us. If you don’t want to work with us, the people here will work with us.

“So, we want to thank you for standing by us. Councillors, go and talk to your people that elections are at hand.”