The attention of the All Progressives Congress, APC Plateau State Chapter has been drawn to a strange and dubious judgment procured by the Plateau State government from an Area Court sitting in Bukuru, Jos South yesterday 31st July, 2023.
Statement made available to this medium and was signed by Hon. Sylvanus Namang,
APC State Publicity Secretary stated that Plateau State government in continuation of its perpetual and flagrant disrespect for judicial processes, purportedly went to a Bukuru Area Court presided by Hon. H. H Dolnan, to seek for three reliefs of the Court to exercise its discretion and give an Interim Order to set aside the subsisting Police Commissioner’s directive sealing the Secretariats of the 17 Local Government Councils in Plateau State.
Secondly, the state government wants the Area Court to order the Police Commissioner to unseal all the Local Government Secretariats which were sealed on 8th June, 2023 following the directive by President Bola Amed Tinubu to the former Inspector General of Police, Usman Alkali Baba to order the Commissioner of Police, Plateau State Command to seal all the Local Government Secretariats to avoid a breakdown of law an order.
Thirdly, the state government used the Area Court Judge to give an order mandating the Police Commissioner to direct his men to immediately vacate the Secretariats to enable it perpetuate its illigalty of disrespecting a superior Jos High Court Judgment of 8th June given by Justice Ishaku Kunda, an upright and courageous Judge who granted an Exparte Order restraining the Plateau State Government from suspending or dissolving Local Government structures in the state.
Surprisingly, the Area Court Judge, H. H. Dolnan who our investigation has revealed is not a trained lawyer by profession and who is due to go on retirement soon, threw caution to the winds and wrecklessy granted all the reliefs sought and damn the consequences.
The APC calls for restraint by the Plateau State government with regards to its mindless travesty of Justice and trivialising an otherwise serious issue which touches on the security and stability of the state.
The APC had in its press release of 15th June, 2023, commended President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for his strict observance of the rule of law when, based on the need for peace to prevail in the local goverments and respect for judicial pronouncements which frowned at dissolution of elected Local Government structures, he ordered the sealing of the 17 Local Government Secretariats in the state.
It would not have caused the Plateau State government anything except its pride and self esteem to allow the elected Local Government Chairmen and their councillors to complete their tenure which will expire in October 2024 instead of its defiance of Orders of Courts of competent jurisdiction.
The PDP government in Plateau State should not take us back to the dark days of 2006, when the government of former governor Joshua Dariye appointed Justice Ya’u Dakwang who was 4th in the hierarchy of High Court Judges as Acting Chief Judge to play his script which led to the punishment of the judge who accepted himself to be used by politicians.
The APC hereby calls for the immediate sanctioning of the Area Court Judge, Hon. H.H. Dolnan for availing himself to give those cheap orders knowing full well that he lacks the jurisdiction to do so.
This would serve as a deterrent to others who might in future choose to toe such untoward lines.
The PDP government in Plateau State is advised, for once to take a hard look at its policies and thread with caution especially with respect to the rule of law which it has continued to violet with impunity.
Its desperation to get things done its own way will not work in this clime when we should not insist on archaic ways of doing things.
We are aware how, instead of reinstating the Local goverment Chairmen it illegally removed from office, the state government manipulated for the case which was earlier scheduled to come up in September 2023, to be brought forward to yesterday 31st July where it met brickwalls based on the eloquent presentation by Chief Femi Falana, SAN who represented ALGON in the Local Government Chairmen inthe case between them and the Plateau State government.
The case has again been adjourned to September 2023, meaning that there is no shortcut to Justice for the Plateau State government.
This hard lesson should not be lost on the rudderless PDP government in this state.
