Politics

Benue: PDP threatens to sue Gov Alia, DSS over detention of LG chairmen

The Peoples Democratic Party in Benue State on Thursday threatened to drag the Directorate of State Service and the state governor, Rev Fr Hyacinth Alia, to court over the continuous detention of four local government chairmen.

The State Publicity Secretary of the party, Bemgba Iortyom, disclosed this on Thursday while narrating the plight of the council chairmen in DSS detention.

Iortyom listed the detained chairmen to include the Ushongo chairman, an octogenarian, Mrs Veronica Gajir, the State Chairman of the Association of Local Government of Nigeria who doubles as Guma LG chairman, James Oche and Alfred Atera, chairmen of Ado and Katsina-Ala local government areas.

Iortyom called on the state governor, Rev. Fr Hyacinth Alia, and the DSS to release, with immediate effect, the four council chairmen in their custody or face legal action.

While briefing newsmen at the party state secretariat in Makurdi on Thursday, the party publicity scribe said, “It has become necessary to call to order Benue State Governor, Hyacinth Alia, over his continuing draconian actions since he assumed office, which includes the arrest and incarceration of Executive Chairmen of four local government areas of the state.”

“On Monday, 3rd July 2023, the Executive Chairmen of Guma, Katsina-Ala, Ushongo, and Ado local government areas had honoured an invitation from the Directorate of State Service in Makurdi, on the prompting of the governor, and since then, they have been under detention there.

He added, “Today marks over 72 hours of the detention of the council chairmen by DSS without stating what their offence is or charging them to court, in the face of which it is plausible to infer that their offence could only be a refusal to surrender to the illegality of their purported suspension from office under the orders of Governor Alia acting.”

Iortyom said that earlier on Thursday, July 6, lawyers and the bailiff of a Makurdi Magistrate Court in seeking to serve processes of the court on the DSS headquarters in Makurdi for the enforcement of the fundamental human rights of the detained council chairmen were denied access to the Directorate’s premises, neither were they attended to by anyone for the purpose of their assignment there.

The party publicity scribe urged the DSS to beware of its professional image and steer clear of Governor Alia’s desire to perpetrate impunity and foist an order of lawlessness on the state.

He insisted that the 23 Council Chairmen in Benue State were elected on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) at April 30, 2022, local council elections conducted by the Benue State Independent Electoral Commission (BSIEC), and they were sworn into office on June 29, 2022, to a definite tenure of 2 years as enshrined in the Local Government Establishment Law of the state: that tenure expires on June 28, 2024.

Iortyom noted that the council chairmen had secured restraining order from the National Industrial Court holden at Makurdi to guarantee their tenure of office against unlawful dissolution by the state government.

“Hon. Justice (Dr.) I. J. Essien, the Presiding Judge of the Court, had on June 15, 2023, given a judgement, restraining the defendants (Benue State Government), by themselves, agents, successors, or privies, from dissolving the claimants’ elected councils or suspending the claimants from office before the expiration of their tenures, or from interfering with the functions, operations, rights, privileges or entitlements of the claimants’ councils in the manner complained of in the suit.

The party stated that in disregard to this order, Governor Alia had gotten the state Assembly through a kangaroo committee to investigate the affairs of the 23 local councils and, at the same time, ordered the suspension of the council chairmen and the entire councils, including the legislative arms from office indefinitely, all in 24 hours.

“The council chairmen through their learned counsel had proceeded and commenced contempt of court proceedings against the government of Hyacinth Alia and his “Partners in Impunity” at the Benue State House of Assembly, serving on them variously and separately Notice of Consequence of Contempt Proceedings, on 27th June 2023, which hearing is scheduled to hold in a few days.

“Those Chairmen had also, through their learned counsel, approached the High Court of Benue State seeking through an ex parte application and a substantive suit to have the Benue State Government restrained from interfering with their lawfully vested mandate and tenure of office, both of which were earlier this morning entertained before the Chief Judge of Benue State, Justice Maurice Ikpambese.

“It is in the face of the obvious tide of legality flowing in the favour of the council chairmen that the Benue State Governor has panicked and resorted to the draconian arm-twisting tactic of having them arrested and incarcerated unlawfully by the DSS.

“PDP calls on DSS to release with immediate effect the four council chairmen in their custody, among whom is a woman in her 80s, the Ushongo Council Chairman, whose only offence has been to answer the call to duty to serve her people in her old age, service she has been rendering with uncommon competence, and the other chairmen of Guma, Katsina-Ala, and Ado, who likewise have committed no crime.

“We suspect that part of the plot being hatched by Governor Alia through the DSS might be to get the council chairmen to withdraw all court processes they have initiated to safeguard themselves and their offices, but we warn the governor, his cronies, and the DSS that such antics are not only low but won’t see the light of day, as we will initiate more legal action against the governor and his agents should they continue on this path of lawlessness and vengeance,” Iortyom said.

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