Plateau: LG chairman sworn-in one year after winning election

Governor Simon Lalong of Plateau State on Thursday in Jos performed the swearing-in ceremony of Mr Dan Dul as Chairman of Lantang North Local Government, one year after he was elected.
The governor, also at the occasion, inaugurated Mr Rufus Bature as Secretary to the State Government (SSG) and Mr John Dafa’an as the Chief of Staff (CoS), Government House, Jos.
Dul contested the February 25, 2014 council election on the platform of the Democratic Peoples Party (DPP) and was declared winner of the election.
However, the Plateau State Independent Election Commission (PLASIEC), after the initial declaration of the results in his favour, said the poll was inconclusive and ordered a re-run, in which Mr Daniel Kumzhi of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) was declared winner.
Dul resorted to the Local Government Petitions Tribunal which ruled in his favour and later, following an appeal to the Local Government Appeals Tribunal, which also ruled in his favour to reclaim his mandate.
However, then Governor Jonah Jang, in contravention of the tribunal’s order, refused to administer the oath of office on him to serve in that capacity.
Lalong, while swearing-in the chairman, said that the decision was in line with his government’s philosophy of respect and obedience to the rule of law.
“As you offer the leadership at the Local Government level, you must lead your people with fairness and justice and strive to give them robust and impactful leadership,’’ he said.
The governor also stated that the inauguration of the first set of his appointees was a milestone in the process of setting up a responsive administration, committed to making a difference in the lives of Plateau citizens.
He said the appointments of the SSG, CoS and six other officials were carefully done, in line with the “change philosophy’’ of ensuring credible and inclusive government.
While welcoming the new appointees, he tasked them to bring their wealth of experience to bear in delivering the highest level of good governance to the people of Plateau.
“You must, therefore, see your appointments as a call and a challenge to service.
“Indeed, we have a big task ahead of us in ensuring that we put smiles on the faces of our people and the responsibility of this trust must be carried out with diligence and vigilance, to ensure that it is not abused.
“The challenges, expectations and stakes are now much higher than before and I urge you to justify the confidence reposed in you by focusing on the issues that would proffer solutions to our myriad of problems,’’ he added.