The chairmanship of Langtang North Local Government Area of Plateau State has been a bone of contention and subject of litigation between two personalities. One of the contenders, Mr Zulfa Bitrus Rimven, speaks with newsmen on the impasse. ISAAC SHOBAYO brings excerpts.
By the judgment of the Plateau State High Court, you are to vacate the chairmanship for Mr Joshua Ubandoma Laven to complete his tenure. Why are you still in office?
The judgment obtained by Laven has nothing to do with Langtang North Local Government Area or my humble self; the judgment has nothing to do with me. But elementary law dictates that the judgment of the court is only binding on the parties before the court. It also states that enforceability of a judgment is only binding on the party before the court. To further clear the air, the judgment obtained is not binding on me or on Langtang North Local Government and it shouldn’t have given the former chairman the impetus to invade the local government. While I was here, in Jos, yesterday, on an official function, I saw on social media, the invasion of Langtang North Local Government by the former chairman on the claim that he had obtained a judgment in his favour. That was an exhibition of criminality and a manifestation of poverty of the law. Ordinaryly, he shouldn’t have resorted to self-help even though he claimed that it was a declaratory judgment. That is why I said the judgment is neither here nor there.
He went to court with five prayers and the court, in its wisdom, granted him all the prayers. But the answers to his fourth and fifth prayers give defendant an option. It is said that in the alternative, if you cannot swear him in, you can pay him. That was his prayer and the court answered him. He did not wait for the state government to choose which one to obey before invading the local government secretariat. To me, his invasion of the secretariat was unlawful. I have reported him to the appropriate authorities for necessary action. A court judgment can only be enforced by a bailiff of the court in company with the police. I refused to follow him into the gutter of poverty of law by not mobilising to counter the invasion but I want him and his boys to come to terms with the reality that a society without strict adherence to the rule of law is inviting anarchy and we have had our fair share of civil unrest in Plateau State. I have been telling my people to remain calm so that we can have a peaceful atmosphere to operate.
The two of you recently had a peace meeting with the Commissioner of Police. What was the outcome of the meeting?
The invasion of the secretariat was an act of criminality. I lodged a complaint with the Commissioner of Police and asked him to use the machinery of the law to investigate this matter. It was as a result of that the two of us were invited to appear before the commissioner. I quite appreciate the CP’s approach to the issue. He implored us to keep the peace in Langtang North but I was quick to make him understand that I remained the chairman of the council more so that the judgment of the court did not make any reference to me or the local government area, and neither did it say that my election was null and void. Also, I learnt that parties to the suit have gone to court to challenge the judgment. They have gone on appeal. The meeting with the Commissioner of Police and AIG was fruitful and commendable.
Can you confirm that the two of you have been barred from accessing the local government secretariat pending a solution to the impasse?
I don’t know what you meant by ‘barred’. The two of us were advised not to go to the secretariat until the atmosphere is conducive for such. In spite of this, I remain the duly elected chairman of Langtang North.
Since there is no definite time as to when the secretariat will resume normal activities, what do you intend to do for now?
I have been told to remain calm but in no distance time, the matter will be resolved and we will resume office accordingly but nothing stops me from performing my normal activities as the council chairman
With the pronouncement of the court, are you still the substantive chairman of Langtang North?
I am the chairman of our council and even the ex-chairman, Laven, knows that my emergence followed the due process. An election was conducted in my council which I won with landslide. I was issued a certificate of return by the Plateau State Independent Electoral Commission (PLASIEC) and was sworn in by the executive arm.
One can pardon him for his comments on some of the legal issues involved in the judgment he obtained as he is not a lawyer.
As a lawyer, I will not be discharging my duty of enlightening the public on legal issues if I allow the Babylonian confusion released by Laven in his press conference to fester. It is for this reason and many more that I must respond to the press conference to clarify the issues involved. First, I must state in unambiguous terms that neither I nor Langtang North Local Government Area was a party to the suit and the judgment obtained by Laven judgments cannot be executed against non-parties. Had Ubandoma wanted to execute his judgment against me or Langtang North Local Government Area, he would have sued me and Langtang North Local Government Area as parties to his suit. But he didn’t.
What is the state government doing to resolve the impasse?
He has levelled so many false accusations against the government of the day. The judiciary is an independent arm of government governed by its rules and regulations. Once a party approaches the court for a remedy, they must be patient to allow the process to take its course. The government of the day has nothing to do with what Laven is accusing it of.
The government is equally patiently allowing the legal process to take its full course, having been sued by Ubandoma. The accusations levelled against the government of the day are just Ubandoma’s way of exhibiting ignorance of the legal process.
Are you saying the judgment has nothing to do with you?
It is imperative to state at this juncture that unless and until there is a judgment against me or Langtang North Local Government Area, the judgment obtained by Ubandoma has nothing to do with me or my office as the executive chairman of Langtang North Local Government Area. The judgment obtained by Ubandoma is against PLASIEC, the Attorney-General of Plateau State, governor of Plateau State and Ministry of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs. If Ubandoma Laven claims that he is a man of conscience and that his tenure has not expired, then why did he contest in the PDP primaries in the build-up to the council election that produced me as the executive chairman of Langtang North Council? His name was forwarded to PLASIEC before a court order barred his party from contesting in the election.
YOU SHOULD NOT MISS THESE HEADLINES FROM NIGERIAN TRIBUNE
Buhari Urges MTN For Quality Service, Downward Price Review In Cost Of Data, Other Services
President Muhammadu Buhari Friday at State House Abuja urged the MTN Group to make the available top-of-the-range service to its Nigerian subscribers…
We Have Not Had Water Supply In Months ― Abeokuta Residents
In spite of the huge investment in the water sector by the government and international organisations, water scarcity has grown to become a perennial nightmare for residents of Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital. Uzodinma sacks General Manager of OCDA, names replacement Uzodinma sacks General Manager of OCDA, names replacement Uzodinma sacks General Manager of OCDA, names replacement Uzodinma sacks General Manager of OCDA, names replacement.
Selfies, video calls and Chinese documentaries: The things you’ll meet onboard Lagos-Ibadan train
The Lagos-Ibadan railway was inaugurated recently for a full paid operation by the Nigerian Railway Corporation after about a year of free test-run. Our reporter joined the train to and fro Lagos from Ibadan and tells his experience in this report…
and then