Plateau State governor Caleb Mutfwang has stated that he firmly believes in the effectiveness and efficacy of the local government system in Nigeria.
Governor Mutfwang said he believed the government must be closer to the people. “And the only way we can get government and governance closer to the people is to allow them to elect those who they want to lead them.”
Mutfwang spoke when he inaugurated Hon Plangji Daniel Chishak as chairman of Plateau State Independent Electoral Commission (PLASIEC) alongside seven other members at the new Government House Little Rayfield, Jos.
Governor Mutfwang also said that it was unfortunate that when they came on board, they had to dissolve PLASIEC as it was illegally constituted by the previous administration, adding that the dissolution was premised on sound legal footing.
Speaking of the new members of PLASIEC, the governor acknowledged that they were carefully selected based on their track records.
He said they are coming in when the commission has a trust deficit. “People no longer believe that state electoral commissions should exist. And they are even calling for their scrapping.
“I certainly disagree with that. Because we are operating a federal system. Ours is a Federation. It’s not a unitary government. And if people are worried about allowing the local government system to work,
they should also allow the states to function.
“So, the responsibility is yours. The ball is in your court. You rise to the occasion and set out modalities for credible elections that even international organisations will have to come and monitor. So we are not joking about this.”
The governor further stressed, “We desire to claim global space, even though we operate locally. So let me congratulate you and wish you a very successful tenure, and I hope your names will be written in gold.”
In his remarks on behalf of other electoral body members, Chishak said they received the task with every sense of commitment to serve.
He pledged the commission’s readiness to follow due process, work within the confirmed rule of law, and be transparent in engaging all stakeholders on the Plateau.
