Court To Commences Hearing On Injunction Filed By Dr. Joshua Ubandoma Laven Against Plateau State Commissioner Of Police “Wednesday 10th “

Yakubu Busari

The Plateau State High Court, sitting in Plateau, on Monday, adjourned the suit filed by the Chairman of Langtang North Local Government Council Dr. Joshua Ubandoma Laven challenging the Commissioner of Police, Plateau State Command for stopping him from entering into office

Justice S.P.Gang granted the prayers sought by the claimant by adjourning the hearing of the injunction application of the Commissioner of Police regarding whether he has the power to prevent an elected Executive Chairman from accessing his office.

Justice S.P.Gang adjourned the matter after the counsel to Commissioner told the court that she presented a counter affidavit to enable them to prepare adequately for CP defense, since it was coming up for mentioning.

Speaking shortly after the hearing, counsel to Hon Joshua Ubandoma Laven , Barr. Niri Darong the Chairman of Langtang North LGA says,”as you are aware that the high court of Plateau State entered a judgment in favour of the Chairman of Langtang North saying that the PLASIEC was wrong to have conducted elections into the Chairman of Langtang north LGA having been sworn into office on the 9th October 2018 “.

Darong explained that in 2019 the court Appeal affirm the said judgment, but the commissioner of Police, Plateau State Command has asked Hon Joshua Ubandoma Laven to stay off that office so we have to file to see if he has the power to stop or prevent Hon Joshua Ubandoma Laven coming to his office because somebody the court has affirmed to still be the Chairman of that Local Government.

However, Darong says to make the matter so sad, even the High court Plateau state in another suit of inter-party affairs held that he wasn’t the nominated candidate of the APC in that election.

According to him, Barr.Zulfa Rimven filed an Appeal at the court of Appeal the court declared that he isn’t a dully elected Chairman of Langtang north LGA because he is not the nominated candidate of his party.

Barr. Niri Darong explained further that as it stands now the democratic structure in Langtang north LGA has been tempered so we have approached the court so that it can interpret whether the Commissioner of Police has the power to stop the judgment of a high court of jurisdiction.

He stressed that they’re optimistic that very soon we shall hear from the court and the CP has just filed his counter-affidavit out of time, so we ask the court for 24 hours and the court graciously granted us Wednesday the 10th of August, 2022 to come back so that we argue the issue of injunction and the council can’t be governed BU impostor as someone that was not recognized by the law.

When the medium sought to know whether they have been served with notice of Supreme Court Appeal, Barr. Niri Darong told us that no, “we are not aware that the Appeal has been appealed to the supreme court because they claim that the service was done through WhatsApp and Ubandoma Laven explains to us that nothing was sent to his phone “.

He said they’ve been saying it so even in this matter, they’ve been saying so that they did appeal at the supreme court, Governor Simon Lalong, Attorney General, PLASIEC, and Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs that alleged that they have appealed to the supreme court which they annexed that Ubandoma Laven was served with notice of Appeal.

They stresses that the documents were scanned and sent via WhatsApp but we confirm from our client that no notice was served on him and we are coming to deal with it on Wednesday.

Niri Darong maintained that Barr Zulfa Rimven as a lawyer is staying illegally in office what is the implication for him, Darong said, we lawyers have been trained to obey the decision of the court.

In fact, even if a lawyer wins or loses his case the decision is for him to obey the verdict of the court judgment, but in a situation where a lawyer disobeys the order of the court judgment that is a different bold game altogether.

He said the act of disobedience to court judgment is an act of anarchy so we have done the right and lawyers are ministers in the temple of justice in every court the same with the Bailee s trying to enforce any judgment so also the lawyer instructed his client to obey the order of the court not bring down a house.