By Pwanagba Agabus, Jos
The Chairman of Langtang South Local Government Council, Plateau State, Hon. Vincent Bulus Venmark has cleared the air over claims in some quotas that he desecrated the revered Resettlement Day celebration held about a fortnight ago in his local government area, saying he is a man of peace.
He said, as the chief security officer of the council, he took necessary positive steps to avert a situation which was set to disrupt the celebration.
Venmark explained that the day was a success despite the initial challenge as the situation was handled and funds raised beyond the expected figure.
Recall that Venmark was said to have attacked his Langtang North counterpart Hon. Joshua Ubandoma at the aforementioned event held at Sabon Gida, Langtang south over a sitting arrangement and the altercation led to the disruption of the event.
Reacting to the allegations, the Langtang South chairman, told journalists, that “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”, he explained.
“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”, he stressed.
In his reaction, 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, the crowd started shouting PDP”, he explained.
