Posted by By MARIAM ALESHINLOYE AGBOOLA, Jos on
Speaker of Plateau State House of Assembly, Michael Dapialong, says that Governor Joshua Dariye has been served fresh notice of impeachment, which he said has additional charges, including a warrant of arrest in London by the London Metropolitan Police.
Speaker of Plateau State House of Assembly, Michael Dapialong, says that Governor Joshua Dariye has been served fresh notice of impeachment, which he said has additional charges, including a warrant of arrest in London by the London Metropolitan Police.
This is even as the dissolved Local Government Advisory Committees set up by Michael Bot-Mang have vowed to remain in office, saying that Dariye has no right to sack them.
The Speaker said the notice of impeachment, which Daily Sun gathered was dated April 27, the day the Supreme Court declared Dariye's earlier impeachment as illegal and reinstated him to office, has been signed by 14 members and handed over to the Clerk for onward delivery to the governor.
He said that the motion on the notice of impeachment was raised by the member representing Dengi Constituency, Wakdum Abbas, on Monday under matters of urgent public attention.
Dapialong said that the Supreme Court's judgment, which they are respecting, did not declare Dariye's innocence but stated that the process of his impeachment was faulted, stressing that the members decided to follow due process this time to effect his impeachment.
However, there were discrepancies in the Speaker's remark on the service.
Dapialong, who initially maintained that the governor had been served on Tuesday, changed his position when he was reminded that it was a public holiday, adding that the Clerk was yet to report back to the House whether the service had been effected or not.
According to him, the lawmakers had nothing personal against Dariye but felt duty bound to act on the petition before them, which, according to him, bordered on gross misconduct of the governor as the nation's image was at stake. He said that if the lawmakers do not act, people, including journalists, would accuse them of inaction.
The Speaker explained that one of the technical problems that rendered the first impeachment defective was the lack of evidence of arrest, which this time has been attached.
Hon Dapialong, who also explained that the House condemned the actions of the governor since his return, including the dissolution of the cabinet and that of the Advisory Committees of Local Governments put in place by law of the state assembly, said Dariye's actions were frivolous.
He said that if the Supreme Court had nullified the action of the state government since Dariye was impeached, it has not done the same with the activities of the House of Assembly and he cannot come in and render useless laws passed before he was reinstated.
Meanwhile, members of the Local Government Advisory Committees have declared their unwillingness to respect Dariye's pronouncement sacking them, saying their appointment was based on law.
Leader of the Advisory Committees and Chairman of Kanam Local Government Area, Idris Gambo, said that until the law was amended, Dariye lacked the powers to remove them even as they questioned the feasibility of conducting local government elections on May 19 as declared by Dariye, when the councils are not prepared to hold same.
The chairman explained that parties' primaries have not been held, adding that there was a stipulated period for them to submit names of their candidates, which has not been done. He said that 18 days were not enough to get things in place for the election.