Margaret Elayo: Human Capital DG Denies Submitting Any Petition
Director-General, Nasarawa State Human Capital Development Agency, Habiba Balarabe-Suleiman, has denied any involvement in the petition written against, Princess Margaret Elayo, a commissioner-designate.
Recall that Princess Margaret Elayo was among the 16 persons screened and confirmed to be appointed commissioners by the Nasarawa State House of Assembly. She was however conspicuously absent at the swearing-in ceremony Friday (February 21, 2025).
Governor Abdullahi Sule, during the ceremony at the Lafia City Hall, said there was an issue to confirm and would be swiftly addressed.
A source close to the commissioner-designate, Elayo Confidence revealed that Princess Margaret Elayo was not sworn-in due to a petition before the government written by one Habiba Balarabe Suleiman, Director-General of the Nasarawa State Human Capital Development Agency.
In a post on his Facebook page, Confidence said that the petition was written in connection with a palliative distribution exercise which was flagged off in October at the Government House in Lafia by Vice President Kashim Shettima.
When probed further about the veracity of the allegations, he said his reactions were genuine to the best of his knowledge.
It was gathered that the duo (Princess Margaret Elayo and Habiba Balarabe-Suleiman) were not in good terms since before the swearing-in tussle as he added that the Human Capital boss jostled for commissionership which she couldn’t make it, making her to become enraged with Elayo’s announcement as a commissioner.
“A petition was written by Habiba Balarabe Suleiman, Director-General Nasarawa State Human Capital Development Agency against Hon. Margaret Itake Elayo, MAFC, on the distribution of charcoal stove and diversion of palliatives which was shared around October @ the Governemt House when the Vice President visited Nasarawa State”.
Reacting to the allegations, Habiba Balarabe-Suleiman admitted that there is an issue before the government on the distribution of palliatives between her and the commissioner-designate, adding that she never submitted any petition to authorities.
“We (Margaret and I) are both in the middle of a data reconciliation of some items (stoves). No conclusion has been reached, and I would like to respect the authorities and not comment further”.
“I did not write any petition. I do not even know how to write a petition” she bluntly said.
