A chieftain of the All Progressive Congress (APC) and senatorial candidate for Plateau Central, Hon. Diket Plang, has stated that the party has a solid political structure and large followers in the North that would propel the party to win the forthcoming presidential election.
Speaking with the Nigerian Tribune in Jos, the senatorial candidate said the relative stability and peace in the party, coupled with the vast experience of the presidential candidate, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, was an added advantage for the party to win the presidential election.
“With less than seven weeks to the election, there is no distraction of any sort, there is no crisis, campaigns and consultations are going on fine, and APC has no problem. Apart from this, the votes that would come from the strongholds of our party in the North/West, North/East, and South/West would definitely position the presidential candidate ahead of his rivals.
“The experience of the presidential candidate, Tinubu, is an added advantage; he has his tentacles spread across the country in terms of human capital development; he has developed people while others are financial givers,” he said.
Hon. Plang also maintained that the APC will equally win the gubernatorial election in Plateau State, adding that the party is solidly on the ground while the People’s Democratic Party and Labour Party are struggling for second place.
On the insecurity in the country, Hon. Plang stated that it would be difficult to arrest the spate of insecurity in Nigeria without a clearly defined role for the traditional rulers.
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Hon. Plang told the Sunday Tribune that the government needs to think outside the box to complement the efforts of the security agencies and called for the amendment of the Nigerian Constitution to create roles for them, especially in community policing and security.
According to him, insecurity has slowed down the growth and development of Nigeria; every sector of the country is affected; farmers are displaced; and banditry and kidnapping have become lucrative sources of livelihood in some quarters.
“This is one of the reasons why I am contesting for the Senate. Though it is not one man’s job, if elected, I will join forces with people of like mind in the Senate to ensure that the Constitution is amended to create roles for the traditional rulers, especially to fight insecurity in a different part of the country.
“Traditional rulers are not just traditional institutions but a fountain of wisdom and knowledge, and their experiences cannot be neglected in this regard.
“Therefore, we must do everything possible to preserve the traditional institution and bring back its diminishing glory.
“The food scarcity, especially the high cost of food in the country we are experiencing presently, is a result of insecurity.
“Farmers are no longer safe on their farms, and many have been displaced. In my senatorial district here, it is the same story, which is one of the reasons I am contesting this race. “The issue needs to be tackled head-on,” he said.
