From Yakubu Busari,Jos
Hon. Shehu Bala
The embattled Chairmen of Plateau State who resumed duties at the weekend following a truce with the governor, Caleb Mutfwang have appealed for the rule of law to prevail in promotion of democracy in the state.
Jos-North Local Government Council of Hon. Shehu Bala who resumed office with the legislative arm at the weekend said the exercise that led to their temporary suspension was illegal and capable of truncating democracy without due process of the law .
He said the suspension prescribed by the governor was not in line with the constitution as they were suspended without given fair hearing in the allegations levelled against them.
He said, “We didn’t expect somebody to sit in the comfort of their office to effect suspension, so we called on Governor Caleb not to be misled by other greedy politicians to cause confusion that would create problem”
Bala warned that having scored 160,000 votes to emerged as an elected Chairman of the Local Government he would resist any threat that would make him abandon the mandate freely given by the people.
He advised the governor of the state, to seek better understanding of the law and know that the Plateau State House of Assembly has no power to recommend the sacking of all democratic structures at the Local Government level in the state.
Hon. Bala, who addressed journalists at his office in Jos North Local Government Council, added that the governor may have been ill advised by non-lovers of Plateau and democracy.
According to the Chairman, “The purported suspension was made only on Social Media. The Councilors who are supposed to watch over our activities were also taken unaware. The governor is a lawyer and so, we were taken aback to see him following the political train instead of the law.
“We actually received a communiqué from ALGON on the 25th of May, 2023, requesting us to furnish the House with the details of our income and expenditure and we forwarded same through the same channel. But, in less than 24 hours we saw on Social Media that we have been suspended from office.
“Tell me, who does this?
“The House does not have a direct oversight function on Local Governments, but the Councilors. The law is clear on that! It is therefore shocking that, because of personal pride and intention(s), the Councilors were allegedly suspended too!
“However, let’s ask ourselves one question. Can all the 17 Local Government Chairmen commit the same offense with the Councilors too? This must be politics taken too far! I expect the Governor to have drawn a line between politics and governance.
“I therefore call on citizens in the LG to remain calm as I am still in office like my colleagues to protect the mandate they gave to me”.
