A group known as Chalbak Supreme Council of Ngas Affairs (CSCNA) in Plateau state, has berated Yusuf Gagdi, a federal lawmaker for allegedly making inciting statements and ridiculing Governor Caleb Mutfwang.
Gagdi represents Pankshin, Kanke and Kanam federal constituency of Plateau state in the House of Representatives.
In a statement in Jos, the group lashed at the lawmaker over his comments during the “Pusdung”, a cultural festival of the Ngas ethnic nationality in Pankshin and Kanke Local Government Areas of Plateau state which held on October 7, 2023.
The statement signed by Nenrot Wuyokwe, Protem President of CSCNA said Gagdi’s irresponsible utterances and outright disrespect to Governor Caleb Mutfwang, who was represented at the event in Pankshin, by the secretary to the state government (SSG), was an embarrassment to the Ngas nation.
The statement also condemned the leadership of the Ngas Development Association (NDA), organisers of the cultural festival for tolerating such utterances from the lawmaker.
The statement called on the NDA to tender an unreserved public apology to dissociate itself from the speech by the lawmaker.
Gagdi, had in an address at the occasion, vowed to ensure that Nentawe Yilwatda, Plateau state governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the 2023 elections, becomes the governor of the state.
In the video, Gagdi vowed that he
will pursue Yilwatda’s governorship with the last drop of his blood.
“This Nentwawe you see, and Nentawe project, walahi (I swear) we will pursue it with the last drop of our blood, until ︅by the special grace of God, God confirms Nentawe as the governor of Plateau state”, the lawmaker said in the video.
He also referred to Governor Mutfwang as a “temporary governor”.
However, Wuyokwe, urged the security agencies in the state to call the lawmaker to order.
The statement reads: “The attention of Chalbak supreme council of Ngas affairs has been drawn to the indecent, reckless,odious, vexatious and barbaric utterances of a National Assembly member, Hon. Yusuf Gagdi, in which the office of the legally elected Governor, whose person and representative was ridiculed at the annual Pusdung Festival in Panshin on Saturday” (October 7, 2023), the statement reads.
“It is embarrassing and acutely disheartening that such reckless, despicable and uncharitable behaviour were displayed in the glaring presence of the leadership of the Ngas Development Association, the NDA, who are the organisers of the event that invited the governor to the occassion.
“It is either that the NDA leadership deliberately invited the governor to ridicule him or that its sees a better authority in the person of an infantile arrogant legislator who represents them at the lower chamber of the National Assembly.
“We condemn in strongest terms the unreasonable utterances of Gagdi which has become his despicable trademark and whose failed desperation to achieve a political goal at the event would make him to disrespect the person and the office of the governor and his representative at such an occassion.
“Gagdi, who mounted the stage uttered despicable and ill conceived comments which by every moral and official standards, are grossly disrespectful on the people’s mandate, Gov. Caleb Mutfwang, by addressing him as a “temporary governor,” which to us represents a senseless adjectival description .
This to us, is arrogance taken too far. This is contempt of a matter that is in court which is far beyond the authority of any interested party to toy with.
“Speaking as if he is the grand Patron of the nation’s judiciary, Gagdi by such childish display needs to be called to order by the security agencies in the state because we cannot have two captains in a ship simultaneously.
“We should not be part of any plans to destabilise the people’s oriented government which came on board by the special grace of God by the massive support of the people.
“Gagdi is too elementary to desecrate and deprecate the enviable office of a popularly elected governor by casting aspersion on his office or any institution of the federal government.
“As a group of responsible patriots, we find such statement as not only democratically barbaric and irresponsible but superlatively demeaning to the number one seat of power in the state.
Governor Mutfwang who was duly elected, legally declared winner, sworn-in and affirmed by the State Election Tribunal should be accorded the needed respect as the number one citizen of the state.
“Any aggrieved party has the right to appeal the decision of the tribunal but not to stoop low as to heat up the polity with reckless utterances.
“As a federal lawmaker, representing a section of Plateau citizens in which it takes eight of his constituency size to equates the governor’s constituency we demands civilised democratic behaviour on the part of Gagdi.
“His leprous behaviour is akin to a person with little or no democratic training and a crass display and abuse of political opportunism with an impelled debilitating democratic opprobrium of irresponsiblenes.
“We believe that he is in a better position to accord due respect to leadership and constituted authorities, of which he is a beneficiary.
“It is rather unfortunate, that rather than using the podium he was accorded to promote the peace and objective of the highly respected festival, he preferred to engage a reverse gear of uncultured training by oozing senseless remarks that are rather unbecoming of his status and office.
“The highly revered Ngas Pusdung Festival of Arts and Culture which is known for sustaining the cultural heritage of the Ngas people has never experienced this display of immaturity by one of its guests and supposed representative until this year…”
The group also demanded for a public apology from the leadership of the NDA organisers of the Pusdung.
Wuyokwe said, “It is in line with the above concern that we demand a public apology from the Ngas Development Association (NDA), the organizers of Pusdung on behalf of our highly revered august visitor, Governor Mutfwang, by allowing Gagdi to use their platform to rain uncontrolled insults on the person and office of the governor, his representative, the Secretary to the State Government, Arch Samuel Jatau and by extension, the law abiding Ngas sons and daughters at the occasion.
“We believe that the NDA should demonstrate non partisan interest in its activities, but surprisingly we saw the opposite.
“We are not surprised that only the APC stakeholders and former office holders were recognised at such an event that should be for all Ngas sons and daughters”.
The statement alleged that, “Even serving commissioners of government were not recognised at the event.
“To address the well legally structured Governor Caleb Mutfwang as a “Temporal Governor”, without immediately distancing themselves nor disclaiming his utterances, speaks volume about a whole drama.
“No reason is valid enough to excuse the corroborative loud silence of the NDA leadership in this matter.
“The unity of Ngasland was never founded on the principles of any political party nor politician and therefore no attempt must be made to ascribe it to any partisan affiliation.
“The Ngas nation which is an integral part of Plateau state that is known for its legendary respect for legally constituted government authorities cannot and must not allow its festival ground to have been hijacked by Gagdi for incendiary remarks on the person and office of the number one citizen in the state.
“We are in accord with the belief that power comes from God and he gives to whoever he chooses without anybody’s approval, on this, we will not tolerate further utterances that are demeaning to constituted authority. ENOUGH IS ENOUGH”.
