HOW DABANG BETRAYED GOV LALONG (Shabul Mazadu)
So many people are having the picture that the former Plateau State All Progressives Congress’ chairman, Hon. Letep Dabang, was betrayed by Plateau State Governor, Rt. Hon. Simon Lalong, and have started sympathizing with him over his sack from the chairmanship position.
The picture came into being via the propaganda machine rolled out in motion by the footsoldiers of Dabang whom he captains, projecting him as the APC skeleton and brain that led it to its victory whereas it was a mere hoax and campaign of Calumny against the Governor to accord kingpin status to the Masquerade like the old tale of the lonely jackal, Ahmir Tahir, in Straight for English Course 5.
Someone once said If you come into your bedroom and found Letep Dabang on your wife, and you allow him to explain, you will thank him greatly at the end.
The Masquerade has been making bogus claims that he made Lalong the Governor of Plateau State, but that was nothing but a farce.
Politically if you compare Governor Lalong’s pedigree, and that of Dabang, you will clearly see that the governor is the help the Masquerade needed and not the other way round.
Dabang has never won any elective position save for the chairmanship of political parties in Plateau. He contested for the Pankshin/Kanke/
Kanam Federal Constituency in 2007 on the platform of the Democratic Peoples Party, DPP, but lost. In 2014, he contested for the Chairmanship of Pankshin Local Government, on the platform of the All Progressives Congress, APC, but lost. While Lalong in 1999 contested for the House of Assembly, Shendam Constituency and won. In 2000, then Speaker, Rt. Hon. George Daika, member representing Mikang Constituency was impeached and Lalong was elected Speaker.
He was the Speaker for two political dispensations. Under his speakership, he was elected the Chairman of Nigerian House of Assembly Speakers Forum. This has made him popular in the 36 states. That was where he established a strong relationship with Rt. Hon. Rotimi Chibike Amaechi, then speaker Rivers State House of Assembly.
Dabang had no financial muscle to sponsor Lalong at the 2015 polls. He had no connection with any of the political bigwigs that will support him. His principal then, Senator Joshua Dariye, was not in tandem with his new found romance with the APC. He then contacted Elder Yahaya Kwande to take him to Atiku Abubakar.
In Plateau State, then interim chairman, Gen John Shagaya, who also represented Plateau South Senatorial District in National Assembly, was with Amos Gombi, former member representing Kanke Constituency in the House of Assembly for the Chairmanship of their party.
Gombi had formidable backup of party stalwarts, coupled with his well wish which surpassed that of Dabang.
John Shagaya was a very strong force both at the state and national levels.
However, Lalong and Yahaya Kwande stood for Dabang who emerged victorious. Shagaya and his team petitioned the National Headquarters of the party that Dabang was Dariye’s front to weaken the APC. The table started turning against Dabang, and despite the efforts of Lalong using Amaechi and his connections at the national level, the Masquerade was defecating bricks, until somebody reminded him on the statement made by Maichibi Vwarji after the 2014 chairmanship election on why Dariye did not support Letep on THE BEACON Newspaper, and he sent for some copies, and that was how he escaped the axe by convincing the panel trying him that he was not a front.
Lalong spoiled his relationship with Shagaya for backing Dabang.
At the peak of the 2015 general elections, Dabang was never convinced in his spirit that the APC will win the governorship. A source in their tink tank said Dabang told Lalong to share the contributions made for Lalong’s campaign saying they were going no where at the polls, and let them not end up with neither the money nor the victory. But Lalong said no, that he was optimistic they will win.
After their victory, Lalong did not care to set up his structure in their party, because he wanted to carry every member along, but Dabang was having his plan of hijacking the party to himself in preparation for the 2023 governorship elections. Indeed, to a large extend he succeeded by making his boys transition chairmen of the 17 local governments for two years. Reports had it that they were reporting to him. Aside the chairmen, he had many political appointees whom Lalong approved that were loyal to him, and most of the wards and local government chairmen were his boys.
After the transition management committees of the LGs, most of the elected LGs chairmen were his boys. He had a very good number of legislators in the House of Assembly, and political appointees. In fact Lalong granted him the privilege of making his strong man, Stephen Jings, Plateau State Federal Character Commissioner representing the state at the Federal.
When the term of the State executives of the APC expired, and during the congresses for the chairmanship, Lalong against all odds ensured the return of Dabang in 2018.
After his return, Dabang continued with his strategy of hijacking the party.
The privilege given to him by the governor that made almost the entire structure of the APC in Plateau to be at the beck and call of Dabang, he went gaga, hay way, Hitlerite and Nebuchadnezzareque, doing as his wished. He strangulated and incapacitated the state APC EXCO. He is hardly seen in the office as chairman of the ruling party. He kept the party secretariat in dilapidation, worn out and unkept. His highest achievement was the replacement of the old APC flags with new ones before he was sacked. And when asked why he was doing what he was doing, his footsoldiers replied that the state government wasn’t giving him money to maintain the party secretariat. And when asked about the 13% contributions of elected and appointive political office holders, they said the funds were not channeled to the party, but the government.
This horrible and wicked political style gave the Masquerade the leverage to always be at the Lamingo Golf Club. He only picked calls of his party structure, and had secret places of meeting with them. Anybody that wasn’t part of his structure, Dabang didn’t see them as APC members.
With the structure he put in place, he proudly paraded himself of single handedly delivering Plateau to APC in 2019, without recognising the governor’s and other party stalwarts’ efforts.
His blind footsoldiers kept boasting that no one can stop Masquerade from securing the APC governorship ticket during the party’s primaries because of the structure they hijacked and the cloud of registered members they cornered to favour them during the revalidation exercise of their party, so that either through secret ballot or congress method adopted, they will emerge victorious.
Despite the several cautions put forth to the Governor that he was bringing out the deadliest Idi Amin in Letep Dabang, he spared him thinking he would change, until it was clear that so many members were contemplating defection, before his sack came swiftly.
No governor in the history of Plateau gave any party chairman the privilege Lalong gave Letep, but he made a pig of the governor, even daring him. Several times he boasted that if the governor touches him, APC will go down. Thus; bullying whom he will bully.
The truth be told, no man made Governor Lalong the Governor of Plateau State. It was a divine arrangement where then governor Jonah David Jang made a mockery of God and was confused to take a wrong decision, which he did, and Lalong became governor. Letep was not behind Jang’s mistake. He was not the one that convinced PDP members to revolt against their party to vote out GNS Pwajok, Jang’s candidate. Lalong himself cannot boast that his power or any man made him the Governor, but God, but here is a masquerade who dares God and claims to have made Lalong Governor, even rubbishing all those who contributed to the victory in 2015. Little wonder he boasted that God wanted to make him great by defeating the PDP in 2015.
Freelance Reporters 