BEVERLY HILLS, October 24, (THEWILL) – A former Plateau state deputy governor, Mrs Pauline Tallen, on Monday explained that she turned down her nomination as a non-career ambassador, in order to be fair to other parts of the state in terms of federal appointments.
President Muhammadu Buhari had last week sent a 46-man list of non-career ambassadors to the Senate for confirmation, among which was the name of the former deputy governor.
But speaking with newsmen in Abuja, the Labour Party governorship candidate in Plateau in 2011, explained that she hails from the same local government area and tribe with the state governor, Simon Lalong, stressing that “I turned down the nomination because of balancing of appointments, I don’t think it is right for me to accept the appointment”.
She said further, “Secondly, proper consultation was not done, my governor was not consulted because I called him when he was in United States of America to ask but he said that he was not aware.
“For me, I was consulted and I turned down the appointment even before the announcement was made,” Tallen said, pointing out that “my husband’s ill-health is another reason why I will not accept the appointment.
She disclosed that the President gave her another option and also assured her that Plateau would not miss its two slots.
The former deputy governor, who appreciated Buhari for the honour, said that her name was not included on the list of nominees and was surprised when the announcement was made.
She further said that her decline would not affect the chances of the state for the two slots as another name had already been submitted in her stead.
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