By: Valentine Adese (JP),
A former Deputy Speaker of The Plateau State House of Assembly (PLHA) and currently, the Chairman of the House Committee on Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs has added his voice in support of the embattled Local Government Chairmen in the state, in saying that, the House has no Legal Powers or Right to suspend them from office.
Hon. Ibrahim Baba Hassan, who made this position known, while fielding answers to questions in an interview with Journalists, who cornered him in Jos, also said, there is no Law or any Section of the Constitution backing the actions of the House or the Governor.
According to him, “What is simply happening in the state concerning the Chairmen, Governor and the PDP is Politics”.
In part, Rt. Hon. Ibrahim Baba Hassan said, “I was the first person that wrote the first letter to the Chairmen of the Local Government Councils in the state, requesting them to summit documents and also furnish the House with the details of their income and expenditure.
“I have the legal right as the Chairman, Committee on Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs in the Plateau State House of Assembly.
“What is happening now is simply politics and this is dangerous. What we expected to be seeing now in the state is governance and not this!”
“There is no State Law that gives the Plateau State House of Assembly and the Governor of the state, powers to suspend any elected Chairman or Councilors of Local Governments from office.
“From another perspective, supposing the 17 Local Government Chairmen are found wanting, what has that got to do with the Councilors and why are they also suspended?
“As an advice, I want everybody to know that, whatever you do will definitely come back to you. Do good and you will see good!
“Today Caleb Mutfwang is the Governor of Plateau state, either by error, commission or omission and the state is too small for the entire members of the PDP to gain appointment hence this manipulation of the Law and the citizens.
“Mutfwang (Esq) being a Lawyer for over 30 years, should know that there is no such power in the Plateau State Laws or the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended) which empowers him to suspend elected Local Government Chairmen unilaterally.
“Just for instance, can the Federal House of Representatives or the Senate, as the case may be, decide to suspend Governor Caleb Mutfwang?
“If we have such in or Law books, it will amount to Political suicide!
“I therefore want to advise the Governor to rescind his action and simply reverse back to Status quo to enable a peaceful resolution of the issues, if any, for the interest of the state”.
No comments:
Post a Comment