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Same Faith Candidacy: Pope didn’t disapprove my appointment as Tinubu’s camping DG –Lalong

Governor of Plateau State, Simon Lalong, has said that as a devoted Catholic, he never received a directive from the Pope to reject his appointment as the Director-General of the All Progressive Congress Presidential Campaign Organisation. Lalong said this yesterday while responding to calls on him to reject the appointment by some Christians after a meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari at the Presidential Villa, Abuja. He disclosed that he was content with the appointment adding that he never lobbied to become a Vice Presidential candidate to the APC Presidential candidate, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, contrary to speculation.

He, however, conceded that some persons within the party actually rooted for his emergence as Tinubu’s running mate in order to ensure a religious balance. Responding to criticisms trailing his accepmenttance to lead the APC’s Muslim/Muslim ticket presidential campaigns, especially from members of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), despite being a Christian, Lalong said: “I came back home and CAN welcomed me at the airport.

The next day, I addressed stakeholders of Plateau State. And I told them why I am accepting. And then there was jubilation and all of them accepted. “So if you see people talking about me rejecting it. I’ve accepted already. It’s not an option. I’m a Christian. I went through missionary schools. I respect my being a Christian. I have been given the highest award by the Pope.

The Knight of St. Gregory the Great. “And as a Catholic, everything we do, we send the advice to the Pope. The Pope has not told me that what I’m doing is bad to accept the Director- General. As a Catholic, we take that direction.” Responding to insinuations that he may have accepted the appointment to compensate for the loss in his bid to become Tinubu’s running mate, Lalong said: “I did not lobby for VP. Yes, many people were lobbying and writing on my behalf, but what I have always wanted to be and obtained form for was the Senate. I have a Senatorial ticket that I am waiting for. So if at any time some people who wanted to be VP lost out and they’re using religion, they should not use me to help them. We are already far, we’re talking about leadership. We’re talking about the problems we have, addressing the problems of Nigeria, and all we’re talking about is good leadership.”

Asked how he intended to combine his role as a Campaign DG for a presidential election as a sitting governor, he said Plateau was in capable hands. “We are using technology now. What is the distance from here (Abuja) to Plateau? It’s 20 minutes, if you are going by air. Just as I’m leaving this place, I have a Plateau Executive Council meeting. I have capable hands that are taking care of the state. So, I have no fear. That was why I mentioned it, that I have no fear about my time. “This is not the first assignment I’m doing. I’ve been handling assignments from the Federal Government, from the party while sitting as governor of Plateau State,” he said. On his mission to the President, the governor said he was at the State House to thank Buhari for approving some key infrastructural projects and granting presidential pardon to a former governor of the state, Joshua Dariye and a former Taraba State Governor, Jolly Nyame, who were released on Tuesday, four months after the pardon was announced.

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