Plateau 2027: Group defends Mutfwang’s govt, knocks PDP candidate over criticism

The Plateau Initiative for Growth and Development (PIGD) has called on politicians in Plateau State, especially the factional governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Sunday Biggs, to rise above what it described as unnecessary semantics and focus on the realities on ground.

The PIGD, in a statement issued on Wednesday by its National Coordinator, Nengak David, said Plateau’s political space should not be turned into an arena for tension, distraction, or needless verbal confrontation, but should instead become a platform for serious engagement on ideas, vision, and practical alternatives for the people of the state.

The PIGD stated that the people of Plateau State deserve “a contest driven by substance, not noise”, adding that any politician seeking to challenge Governor Caleb Mutfwang must be ready to tell citizens what he can do better than the present administration.

“Rather than stir unnecessary tension or engage in political shadowboxing, Sunday Biggs and other political actors should tell Plateau people what they can do better. The issue is not who can shout the loudest, but who can present a clear, realistic and people-centred vision for the state,” the group said.

The group commended the Mutfwang administration for what it described as visible and measurable achievements across key sectors, particularly security, health, education, agriculture, transportation, water, energy, tourism and road infrastructure.

The PIGD noted that on security, the administration has revamped Operation Rainbow, recruited and trained over 1,500 personnel across communities, commenced the recruitment of 1,000 Forest Guards, launched the State Security and Information Centre with a toll-free line, and invested in security technology, operational vehicles, and gadgets to support security agencies.

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The group also pointed to major interventions in the health sector, including the recruitment of 22 medical consultants at the Plateau Specialist Hospital, construction of a modern laboratory complex, procurement of laboratory equipment worth over N2 billion, introduction of Electronic Medical Records, expansion of residency training and growth in PLASCHEMA enrolment from 93,605 beneficiaries in May 2023 to 319,429 by May 2026.

On education, the PIGD said the Mutfwang administration has approved a 50 percent reduction in tuition fees for Plateau indigenes in state-owned tertiary institutions, increased scholarship funding by 300 per cent, sponsored students abroad, constructed 397 classrooms, renovated 557 classrooms, drilled boreholes in schools, and provided furniture and learning facilities through SUBEB and the AGILE Programme.

The group noted that these achievements were too significant to be dismissed through political rhetoric, stressing that those seeking power must respond with stronger ideas rather than attempts to diminish progress already being recorded.

“It is not enough for anyone to play politics with words. Plateau people are seeing roads, health interventions, school projects, agricultural support, security reforms and efforts to restore the dignity of the state. Anyone seeking to challenge this administration must come with a better plan, not empty rhetoric,” it added.

The PIGD, therefore, urged Biggs and other PDP leaders to avoid statements capable of heating up the polity, warning that Plateau State cannot afford political tension at a time citizens are looking for stability, development, and responsible leadership.

“Plateau belongs to all of us. The contest for power must not become a contest for bitterness. Let those who want to govern tell the people how they will improve security, create jobs, support farmers, fix roads, strengthen education and expand healthcare. That is the kind of politics Plateau needs now,” the group stated.

The group reaffirmed its support for issue-based politics and responsible democratic engagement, urging the people of Plateau State to demand vision, competence, and realistic alternatives from politicians instead of being “distracted by semantics and political noise”.