Posted by By Jude Owuamanam on
A new twist emerged on Saturday in the attempt to impeach Plateau State governor, Chief Joshua Dariye, as the state government dragged the Attorney General to the Supreme Court.
A new twist emerged on Saturday in the attempt to impeach Plateau State governor, Chief Joshua Dariye, as the state government dragged the Attorney General to the Supreme Court.
The state government is also challenging the powers of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission in respect of investigation, detention, prosecution of persons and confiscation of properties.
The government said that such powers ran counter to the principle of constitutional democracy.
Joined in the suit are the Attorneys General of the 36 states of the Federation.
In the suit filed by the Plateau State Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr. Clement Dakas, the state government sought an order of interlocutory injunction restraining the Federal Government and its agencies, especially the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, from further instigating, sponsoring or providing logistics for the removal of the governor from office.
The government also demanded an order restraining the Federal Government and the EFCC from preventing the 16 lawmakers loyal to the governor from having access to the chambers of the State House of Assembly in order to transact their legislative and constitutional functions pending the determination of the substantive suit.
It also wants the court to restrain the EFCC from harassing the members and direct the Federal Government to withdraw the security agents occupying the premises of the assembly armoured tanks. It is also seeking an injunction restraining the EFCC from bringing the six members of the house to Jos for the purpose of sitting and planning to remove the governor.
In the affidavit deposed to by Dakas, the government said that all the facts of the allegations against the state governor had been subject of several litigations and an investigative panel set up by the Plateau State House of Assembly, none of which had found the governor guilty.
It also deposed that even though the governor had been exonerated, the Federal Government, through the EFCC, was bent on removing the governor and had through various acts attempted to impeach the governor.
Such acts, it said, included the arrest and detention of some state officials and sponsorship of a group of six members to carry out the act, all with the intention of intimidating and brutalising the psyche of the people of the state.
The government also wants the court to declare that EFCC had no powers to freeze or tamper with the accounts of the state government.