The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Plateau State, which won the governorship election, conducted last Saturday, has warned the outgoing government officials of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) not to loot the state treasury, as doing such, would have dire consequences
The party gave the warning on Wednesday, through a statement signed by its State Publicity Secretary, John Akans.
According to PDP, the ruling APC administration in the state, which tenure comes to an end, on May 29, 2023, having lost a re-election bid should not add to the current harrowing experiences of the people of the state, by allowing it’s officials to loot the treasury.
The statement noted: “It is on this premise that the general public and the good people of Plateau State are hereby alerted to the dastardly plan by Governor (Simon) Lalong and some of his officials, and for the public to report any such criminal moves which they may sense, regarding this public alert.
“We have it on good authority that Plateau State assets within the state ministries, Kaduna, Lagos and Abuja are being tampered with for private acquisition. We have detailed reports of several properties currently being processed for ownership transfer, involving serving commissioners and top government officials, hence, this serious warning to those involved in this illegal deals,” the statement further alleged.
Akans stressed: “The Commissioner and Permanent Secretary of Ministry of Lands and Surveys should take note because we are aware of the missing photogrammetry surveying and remote sensing machine procured by former Governor Jonah Jang’s administration.
“Permanent Secretary ministry of Agriculture should as well take note of what is happening at Kuru livestock farm.
“And permanent secretaries of Government House, policy and cabinet office should equally take note that we are aware of vehicles and other government properties in the hands of political appointees.
“Reliable information available to us also indicate there are several shady conducts, ongoing within the state finance ministry, through the accountant general of the state, aside the billions of loan, allegedly taken by the governor to prosecute the lost election,” it pointed out.
The PDP statement added, “We are inundated with credible reports of emergency contract awards, hurried processing of payments vouchers and a grand agenda to incur further debt, under the guise of project implementation.
“There is an elaborate plot to further bankrupt the state to complicate governance under the new administration,” it further alleged.
The party maintained: “We want to use this medium to warn all those involved in this criminal endeavour to desist from these nefarious activities, as we will hold Permanent Secretaries and Directors of various Ministries and other government agencies accountable for their conduct. Let it be known to the governor and his team, that we have the complete records and inventory of Plateau State assets. We are in possession of records of what was handed over to the governor by his predecessor in 2015, as well as true state of government properties.
“Therefore, we put on notice, that any attempt to divert state properties and muddle up Plateau finances will be visited with full measure of accountability.
“Every government official from top to bottom will be called to account for their deeds and handling of government’s assets. We specifically warn bureaucrats to safeguard their career, by refusing to collaborate with any appointed and elected official engaging in such criminal conduct.
“We also wish to alert the public on this subject matter. Let the public be aware that our common patrimony is being tampered with by an administration they just voted out of office. We promise to follow this matter closely and ensure that Plateau state assets remain secure and protected for the benefits of the public,” the statement insisted.
However, Plateau State Commissioner for Information, Dan Manjang, did not respond his voice calls when contacted to react to the concerns raised by the state PDP.
