Tuesday 7 November 2023

PLATEAU: PDP’S ACCUSATIONS AGAINST COURT OF APPEAL PRESIDENT, IGP, 17 LGC CHAIRMEN, OTHERS IN 5 MONTHS. AN OVERVIEW

By: Valentine Adese (JP),

Within the last 5 months and after the swearing-in ceremony on 29th May 2023, of the New Administration in Plateau State, the level of political accusations in the state’s political space has expanded from the 17 Local Government Council Administrations in the state to the Federal level.

The security operatives in the state have not been spared as the Commissioner of Police (CP) in the state and the Inspector General of Police (IGP) have also gotten their own share of accusations.

Earlier, the immediate past administration in the state had been attacked for a lot of failures and poor administration, which included the plunging of the state into huge debts and employing the state indigenes with a lack of due process, thereby inflating the wage bill for the incoming state government now led by Governor Caleb Mutfwang (Esq).

The 17 Local Government Council Chairmen inherited by the Administration of Governor Caleb (Esq) are already on alleged suspension for one or two accusations too.

Concerning the security operatives, they have been accused of taking sides in the political war and legal tussle between the State Administration and the suspended LGC Chairmen, despite a suit to which they are parties still pending in court.

The IGP through the State Commissioner of Police was dragged to an Area Court and the Federal High Court in Abuja, during the vacation period on the issue above.

Concerning the National/State Houses of Assembly Election Petitions Tribunal, the Panel Chaired by Hon. Justice B. M. Tukur was dragged before the National Judicial Council (NJC), over alleged perceived bias and interest of the Panelists in all the Petitions filed by Petitioners against the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). While on their own party, the Petitioners, the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Labour Party (LP), have equally accused the Hon Justice William-led Panel and the Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal that sat in the state of miscarriage of Justice because of similar perceived interest of the Panelists.

However, when the people of Plateau State thought that all the issues had been exhausted, a Coalition of over 15 Civil Society groups on Tuesday, threatened to shut down Courtrooms, if the EFCC failed to heed the call to Investigate the President of the Court of Appeal over the abused of her office.

PLATEAU STATE GOV. CALEB MUTFWANG (Esq)

The Coalition under the aegis of the Forum of Coalition of Anti-Corruption Organizations in Nigeria, issued the threat while briefing the media in Jos, on Tuesday.

Chairman of the Forum, Mr. Wole Adewale, said the forum has obtained all conversations with Hon, Justice Monica Donbam, where she agreed to the demands of some former Governors including several appointed federal officers.

In a swift reaction to this accusation, the Patriotic APC Media Front in a rejoinder, dated 25-10-2023, has called on security operatives, especially, the DSS to launch a manhunt for the author(s).

The Patriotic APC Media Front in their press statement in part stated: “However, since the author boasts of having evidence, including recorded conversations, the security agencies especially, the Department of State Services are called upon to launch a manhunt on the author(s) and trail the purveyors of these series of character assassination on the person of the President of the Court of Appeal and bring them to book, so it would serve as deterrents to intending culprits”.

TO BE CONTINUED..

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