Mr. Simon Lalong, Governor of Plateau State.
By Marie-Therese Nanlong
Jos – Two Local Government Chairmen in Plateau State fought in public on Saturday 5th March 2022, at an event to mark the history of Taroh nation, held in Sabon Gida, Langtang South local government area.
The Dune learnt that trouble started when a former Chairman of Langtang local government area chanted “PDP” at a event to mark the resettlement of Langtang South and Lantang North local government area.
The Peoples Democratic Party is an opposition party in Plateau State.
It was gathered that the people gathered at Sabon Gida, Langtang South to celebrate Resettlement Day, a day set aside to commemorate the day people in Langtang North were settled in the area now known as Langtang South; a kind of a Founder’s Day but acrimony took centre stage as the host Chairman, Vincent Venmark allegedly physically assaulted his Langtang North counterpart, Joshua Ubandoma.
The situation resulted in a free for as youths who were gathered began taking sides with the politicians, exchanging blows, leading to injuries.
Venmark is of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Ubandoma is of the People’s Democratic Party, PDP but has been chased out of office before the end of his tenure. Despite a court judgment, he has been refused access to his office.
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The fight allegedly started when Ubandoma came into the venue and was asked by the master of ceremonies to join other dignitaries in the reserved area but Venmark kicked against it.
The Media Aide to Ubandoma, Dogo Nanzing said, “I was with my boss, Hon. Ubandoma; when we got there, our protocol officer went to check his sitting position and he was told there was space for him to come and sit.
“As the people came to usher him in, the Chairman of Langtang South, Venmark started warning that nobody was going to sit at that place. My boss, the Chairman of Langtang North left the seat.
“Venmark asked his guys to take Ubandoma off the seat, one of them attempted but was met with resistance, Venmark got up from his seat and pushed Ubandoma. When he was pushed off the stage.”
However, the Chairman of Langtang South, Vincent Venmark has debunked the claim that he desecrated the revered Day saying, as the chief security officer of the area, he took positive steps to manage a situation which was set to disrupt the celebration.
Speaking with journalists at his residence in Jos, he said, “The Remembrance Day has been holding in the last 74 years, I am a Chairman of the local government area. I was at the venue very early to receive people. After then, the former chairman of Langtang North came and he was asked to sit with the people but he refused and wanted to sit where he was not asked to sit….
“He went and collected the microphone and started saying PDP, as if he came for a rally and I said, you can’t do this here, I sent him out of the podium. They started throwing stones, sand and bottles… I asked my people to calm down, the event was a success because after they left, we continued.
“We wanted N10.5m, we got almost N28m that day after they left. I will not ask my people to do what is not good, I am a man of peace…”
