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By Sylvanus Viashima, Jalingo
The coalition of Returning Officers of the People’s Democratic Party PDP for the February Jalingo/Yorro/Zing Federal Constituency bye-election has exonerated and apologised to Dr Aminu Hassan, Chairman of Jalingo Local government area, over allegations of embezzlement of their allowances for the exercise.
In a statement issued in Jalingo on Monday and signed by Six out of the Ten officers, the group said that they were all jointly briefed by all stakeholders that their allowances were not captured in the template for the election expenditure, leading to the delay in the payment of the said allowances.
The leader of the coalition Mr Nasiru Mustapha, said that they are dismayed by the outburst and campaign of calumny against the Jalingo Local government area boss who is doing everything you ensure the payment of their allowances and is spending even his personal resources to make sure all party members benefit from the government.
The forum apologised to the chairman of Jalingo Local Government Area, Alhaji Aminu Hassan, and the Chairman of the PDP in the Jalingo Local government Alhaji Lawandi Atake for what they called false accusations against the duo.
According to the forum, the baseless allegations were intended to tarnish the reputations of the two leaders, who have distinguished themselves in their careers, hence the need for them to clear the air.
“We, the returning officers of the PDP wards in Jalingo, hereby address the misinformation propagated by various online platforms, notably an unregistered news page called Taraba News and a WhatsApp group of the same name managed by one Olayinka Gabriel. These publications falsely accuse Alhaji Dr Aminu Hassan of embezzling funds designated for paying the wards’ returning officers during the February bye-election. Additionally, there are unfounded claims attributed to Engr. Sadiq Abbas Tafida. We urge the public to disregard these baseless allegations intended to tarnish the reputations of our leaders.
“To provide clarity, the allowances for the ten wards’ returning officers of the PDP in the 2nd February 2024 bye-election for Jalingo, Yorro, and Zing Federal Constituency were not included in the payment templates during the election process, a matter known to all parties involved. The delay in payment is not the responsibility of the Jalingo Local Government Chairman, who is diligently working to resolve this issue. It’s important to note that Gabriel Olayinka, the publisher of Taraba News, does not belong to the NUJ or any reputable media organization but rather engages in witch-hunting and blackmailing tactics.
“The Chairman of Jalingo Local Government operates with transparency, honesty, and the highest ethical standards, often using personal resources to address various challenges. Furthermore, Engr. Sadiq Abbas Tafida has not made any statements confirming the allocation of allowances to the PDP Chairman of Jalingo Local Government in his presence. We dismiss the alleged claims made by Hamza Yettoe and his associates.
“The disgruntled individuals behind these accusations are motivated by personal grievances, having failed to secure positions as councillors or appointments within the Jalingo Local Government administration. They are backed by certain groups in Jalingo unhappy with the developmental efforts of Dr. Abu Kefas’ administration and that of Alhaji Aminu Jauro Hassan. As grassroots politicians and community advocates, we will soon publicly disclose the identities of those orchestrating these disruptions to the peace and harmony enjoyed in Jalingo”.
