Plateau State Governor, Simon Lalong, on Monday, swore-in Fabian Ntung as the Chairman of the state Independent Electoral Commission as well as six other officials of the electoral body.
Also sworn in by the governor were the acting Chief Judge of the state and three new commissioners.
The PLASIEC officials were last month confirmed by a faction of the state House of Assembly led by Yakubu Sanda after their names were sent by the governor, but the faction led by the embattled Speaker, Ayuba Abok, had rejected Sanda’s action, describing the approval as a nullity.
However, despite the opposition by Ayuba, who was removed as Speaker in controversial circumstances, the governor swore in the officials at a ceremony, which was held at the Rayfield Government House in Jos on Monday.
Speaking during the ceremony, Lalong warned political office holders against using their positions for politicking rather than delivering services to the people.
The governor said, “Although you have been appointed to different offices saddled with a wide range of duties, your responsibilities will ultimately have a meeting point as they will lead to a more stable, prosperous and democratic society.
“Therefore, the different oaths you have taken should give you the impetus to serve the people of Plateau State and Nigeria at large with sincerity, diligence and determination.”
The governor told the acting Chief Judge, Justice Peter Mann, that he was coming on board at a time when there was a greater need for the dispensation of justice in the state and the nation at large in order to sustain the rule of law.
Social order, he said, was under serious threat by the actions of some groups and individuals, who do not want to submit to law and order, but prefer to create anarchy and perpetrate violence against innocent citizens.
For the three new commissioners appointed to fill the vacuum created by the resignation of three others, who contested and won chairmanship seats of their respective local government councils, the governor urged them to see their appointment as a platform for service to the people and a chance to contribute to the success of the rescue administration and the All Progressives Congress.
In his response on behalf of the appointees, Mann said they would do their best to serve the state and Nigeria with all diligence, honesty and sincerity to add value to good governance in the state.
