Yakubu Busari
Confusion is said to be trailing the People Democratic Party, PDP, Plateau State Chapter as the party stalwarts traded their position of the governorship for their Candidate Lt General Jeremiah Timbut Useni rtd, to the highest bidder in exchange for appointment, is now plotting to embark on secret move to get 2/3 majority of the members of the 9th assembly to impeach Governor Simon Bako Lalong .
As learnt the Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN, are in secret meetings with various heads of denominations to carry out their agenda owning to their agitation that transition committee chairmen were illegally constituted with accusation pointing at the Jos North Local Government Council, Chairman Hon Shehu Bala as a Hausa Fulani.
Why the blame is still on the Plateau State House of Assembly for giving accelerated approval even though few of the PDP members staged a walkout in demonstrating their dislike for the list sent by Governor Simon Lalong to the House.
It was alleged that some of the PDP stalwarts betrayed their own party in the just concluded governorship election which saw Lalong being declared victorious at the polls when polling units agents sold out the party including the party excos for peanuts.
However ,this medium gathered that those political traitors are the same group of people besieging the abandoned party secretariat crying to Nigerians that PDP lost to APC but deep inside them they have been secretly settled with huge amount of money to seal their lips from exposing the behind the seen.
But to some of the lover of PDP it was a hammer attack to destroy the party which the pride it as one of the biggest political parties in Africa but greed ,imposition of candidates ,internal wrangling in 2015 deem their ambition for them continued maintaining the wheel power .
It was gathered that some of them who see the PDP as the strong hold of Tarok of the party has vowed that they wouldn’t be alive to see any Tarok man rule Plateau State again after demise of Solomon Lar .
Their hatred for a Tarok candidate has thrown the state into politics of religious, tribal bigots whose stock in trade is to continue to breed enemies between the Tarok and other ethnic groups, even though we are gradually losing relevant as a people.
No matter how hard Useni work they will still betray the party because of some disgruntled elements who sold out their family heritage for just a plate of food,and those who Useni helped came back to form alliance to prevent him from pushing Lalong aside because he ,” Lalong gave them secret invitation to blackmail him which the perfectly did during the election period “.
The worst of PDP in Plateau state in 2019 was exco, they were all bought and they claiming that they have a factional group that didn’t like the Present Chairmanship of Hon Damishi Sango but that is just a political gimmick plotting to divert the attention of Plateau supporters of PDP to see sango a bad leader but they are worse than him in trading the fate of the state .
The essence of governance is wrapped in the country’s constitutional provisions and laws and not basically built on prayers.
The Law of progress is set on the issues of responsibility and accountability and the need to consider the corporate goals of self, the entities, institutions and the country.
In Nigeria, the 1999 Constitution still operates as amended. The 36 states of the federation also improve on the Constitution just like the National Assembly, by making Laws for Peace, Order and Good Governance of the states and the country at large.
The 1999 Constitution as amend provided that the Legislative powers of a state of the federation shall be vested in the in the House of Assembly of the state.
Section 4(6) further provided that, “The House of Assembly of a state shall have power to make Laws for the peace, order and good governance of the state or any part thereof with respect to the following matters, that is to say, Section 4(c), “Any matter with respect to which it is empowered to make Laws in accordance with the provisions of the Constitution.
From the above, Sections 7(1) of the Constitution, empowers the House of Assembly of a state to make Law for the system of Local Government by democratically elected Local Government Council.
The Constitution states and I quote, “The system of local government by democratically elected local government councils is under this constitution guaranteed; and accordingly, the Government, of every state shall subject to section 8 of this Constitution, ensure their existence under a Law which provides for the establishment, structure, composition, finance and function of such council….”..
It is therefore worrisome to observe that the House of Assembly, especially as it is currently constituted by the 24 wise men has continued to push the blame of not exercising this noble power provided by the Constitution to an alleged influence by the Executive Arm.
An argument that is still finding a place to hold on to, owing to the fact that, the Executive has no role to play on the floor of its hallowed chambers. It is a fact that even when a state Governor is intending to enter and stand on the floor of the chambers, he most first seek permission.
In Plateau State it is sad to observe that, the responsibilities of the House are simply flying in the air, as the Executive, has taken it upon itself to enforce peace and order in the state and timely too, while the members are carried away by their been called Honourables.
The query and cry of the good people of Plateau State, especially that of the opposition political parties led by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), concerning lack of the guaranteed democratic governance at the Local Government Councils cannot shift from the House of Assembly and its Honourable members until, they have discharged their responsibilities as enshrined by the 1999 Constitution.
They must explain and demonstrate to the people that Law(s) that guarantee the system of local government by democratically elected local government councils has been enacted and exist before the blame can shift to the Executive Arm.
It is therefore not out of place, when youths under the umbrella of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), besieged the House sometime last week, with their grievance over the recent appointments of Transition Committee Chairmen in four LGCs of the State.
Furthermore, the reaction of the main body of the state PDP over the appointments is not faulty, but needed to be first directed at the House and its members, who for over a week now, are yet to tell the people of the state the role they played or are planning to play.
The idea of organizing nocturnal meeting by some members of the House, to get support to prepare a notice of impeachment of Governor Simon Bako Lalong in writing, to a large extent is problem half solved, as the house must exonerate itself first, from any wrong doing and members named and shamed themselves.
This would guarantee the good people of Plateau state to buy into their new book and be on the same page with them.
Section 5(2 & 3) of the 1999 Constitution state that, “Subject to the provisions of this constitution, the Executive powers of a state:-
Shall be vested in the Governor of that state and may, subject as aforesaid and to the provision of any law made by a House of Assembly, be exercised by him either directly or through the Deputy Governor and Commissioners of Government of that state or officers in the public service of the state; and
Shall extend to the execution and maintenance of this Constitution, all laws made by the House of Assembly of the state and to all matters with respect to which the House of Assembly has for the time being power to make laws”.
The question on the lips of the good people is that, was a Law enacted to address the on-going controversy of the TIC Chairmen by the House?
