Returning officers representing the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) wards in Jalingo, the capital of Taraba state, have addressed the alleged misinformation circulating on various online platforms across the state.
The group yesterday singled out the online platforms which they alleged to have been spreading false accusations against the National Welfare officer of the Association of Local Government of Nigeria (ALGON), Alhaji Aminu Hassan, in a press briefing at the local government secretariat in Jalingo, said the publication in question is false and mischievous.
Hassan who also doubles as the chairman of Jalingo local government council and the state chairman of ALGON, as observed by our correspondent, was recently accused by the online platforms of embezzling funds designated for paying the wards’ returning officers during the February bye-election in Taraba.
Led by Nasiru Mafindi, other members of the returning offices, including Ibrahim Manga, Emmanuel Kini, Bashir Suleiman, Abubakar Aliyu and Moses Stephen frowned at the allegation.
The online platforms were alleged to have further made an unfounded claim attributed to the member representing Jalingo/Yorro/Zing federal constituency, Sadiq Tafida, the allegation which the returning officers believed is capable of causing disaffection among the PDP faithful in the state.
Piqued by the development, the returning officers, who did not only exonerate the ALGON boss from the allegation, also urged the public to disregard it stating that “these baseless allegations, are intended to tarnish the reputations of our leaders.”
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To clarify the situation, the returning officers explained that the allowances for the ten wards’ returning officers of the PDP in the February 2nd, 2024 bye-election for Jalingo, Yorro, and Zing Federal Constituency were not included in the payment templates during the election process.
They further stressed that the delay in payment is not the responsibility of the Jalingo Local Government Chairman, who is actively working to resolve the issue.
The returning officers who went ahead to vouch for the transparency, honesty, and ethical standards of the Taraba ALGON boss, noted that he has been using his personal resources to address various challenges.
They also refuted claims attributed to Tafida, stating that he has not made any statements confirming the allocation of allowances to the Chairman of the PDP Chairman of Jalingo Local Government in his presence.
They unanimously vowed to disclose the identities of those behind the disruptions to peace and harmony in Jalingo, emphasizing their commitment to transparency and accountability.
