Federal High Court Jos Stops Re-Run Election into Langtang South Seat of PLHA for Saturday

A Federal high Court siting in Jos has stopped the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, , from conducting re-run election in Langtang south for  the state House of Assembly seat on Saturday.

In a suit No :FHC/J/M/16/2017  motion, the judge charged counsel to Independent National Electoral commission  (INEC) to ensure that no election takes place on Saturday, until the determination of matter brought by PDP challenging them.

Justice Dorcas Agishi while delivering her ruling on the application brought by the People Democratic Party, PDP, warned INEC not to go ahead with the conduct of the election on Saturday which she said will be amounting to contempt of court order.

According to her, the court adjourned to 16th of February, 2017 for continuation of hearing and to enable the two counsels harmonize their differences as the PDP counsel will proceed with their response according law.

The appellant counsel, F. O Shaibu applauded the court for the ruling that the judiciary is working

He has earlier filled an application for the stay of execution seeking the court ‘ order of injunction restraining the respondent from conducting rerun election into the seat of member representing Langtang south constituency in the plateau state House of Assembly pending the determination of the appellant to the court of appeal ‘.

The grounds of the application motion of injunction to stop INEC from conducting election in Langtang south seat, the appellant dissatisfied by the decision of the court has appealed to the court of appeal.

Shaibu told the court that if the respondent is not restrained from conducting the election and it goes ahead to do, the appeal of the appellant shall be rendered nugatory.

He said, appeal is the conduct of election with the appellant participating, but if the election is concluded without it and it succeeds on appeal, the success will be empty and money can’t compensate it.

The counsel, Barr Shaibu argues that section 6,6 order 26 rule 2(1) 32 rules of this honourable court, has he entered appearance for,  the Judge warned INEC with contempt of court order if it didn’t stop bye-election in Langtang south.

“If you go ahead you know what the court is capable doing, Court the affidavits was supported with 10 paragraphs and the notice of appeal is hereto annexed as Exhibit, “PDP 1 he said

“You would recalled that the election of Hon Vincent Venman Bulus was quashed over criminal involvement and money laundering by EFCC Two years ago”, he explained.

Hon Bulus was accused defrauding the daughter of the former daughter of Sen Jonah David Jang which affected the primary of PDP in Langtang south member of PLHA.

Governor Lalong Loses Appeal Against Sacked 271 Councillors

Plateau State Governor, Simon Lalong, has lost an appeal filed against 271 elected Councillors he sacked in July 2015, before the Court of Appeal sitting in Jos.

It would be recalled that the sacked Councillors, through their Counsel, Gyang Zi, had taken Governor Lalong, the State Attorney General and the State House of Assembly to Court for their removal from office.

They described their removal as “illegal and unconstitutional’’.

The case against the trio was filed before Justice David Mann of the State High ourt III.

But the Governor challenged the jurisdiction of the court to entertain the matter and its decision to take the Councillors’ preliminary objection along with the substantive case.

However, Lalong failed in the suit and quickly appealed against the ruling.

The appellants, through their Counsel, Victor Paul, had prayed the appellate Court to set aside the decision of the lower court.

Paul also sought an order that the preliminary objection of his clients should be heard first before the substantive suit.

But the appellate court, presided by Justices, A.G. Mshelia (lead Judge), A.H. Abiru and E.O. Williams, faulted the objection of the decision of the lower court by Lalong and others.

While upholding the decision of the lower court, the appellate court said “there is no problem with the lower court hearing both the substantive and the preliminary objection at the same time’’.

The judges said the appeal lacked merit and as such, dismissed it forthwith.

Speaking with journalists shortly after the judgment, Counsel to the Councillors, Gyang Zi said the decision was, “very satisfactory’’ as it has gone to show that there was hope for the common man.

Zi said, “We are happy that the appellate court saw reasons with the decision of the lower court and upheld it by dismissing the appeal of Governor Lalong”.

He maintained that his clients would go back to the High Court to continue in pursuance of their rights, having been wrongfully sacked by the state government.

Plateau State Government uncovered 579 ghost workers and 101 persons to refund over N76 millions naira

Plateau State Government has uncovered 579 ghost workers and 101 persons to refund N76, 763,551.15  to the State government for staying in service beyond their terminal dates including fake employment letter.

The state commissioner for information and communication, Alh Muhammadu Nazif gave this disclosure during a press Conference at the Joseph Secretariat, Jos.

 

The government scooped the money through the ongoing BVN matching service for state employees and pensioners was carried out at the end of the exercise, 579 were taken off the salary payroll for various reasons, he explains.

Hon Nazif 68,554.694.27 monthly for the state government there had been improper documentation and some of them were employed with underage reading 2003 to 2017 which enjoy double promotion in less than ten, 10, years as senior officer.

According to him, the state government under its skills development program, the ministry trained nineteen people in knitting, sewing, cosmetology, catering and bead making at the end of which they received some support for takeoff. Adding, the state collaboration with the Sir Ahmadu Bello Foundation trains 100 women and youth on catering, fabric, dyeing, poultry and cosmetic.

Nazif added a partnership was also entered into with the industrial Training Fund, ITF, to train 60 women, youths in garment making and catering in the state.

He noted that the ministry in collaboration with the plateau Aids Control Agency assisted by the World Bank enrolled  50 persons living with HIV, Aids, orphans and vulnerable children and care givers for training in the following as a form of empowerment tailoring  knitting, shoe making, catering, hair dressing and computer applications.

Furthermore ,the ministry developed the state specific priority actions across sector relevant to child protection following which the final documents was launched by the state governor in September 2016.

collaboration with State Governments Over Condemned Convicts

The Controller of Prisons Plateau State Command, Ailewon Noel open rooms for collaboration with state Governments over Condemned Convicts within His Command.

Speaking on behalf of the controller of Prisons, the state command public Relation officer, Assistant Superintendent of Prison, Asp, Luka Ayedoo at the state headquarters on Monday in Jos, said the comptroller is calling for partnership with the private sector, NGO and the states governors within her jurisdiction over condemned Convicts.

The Controller stressed that safe custody, reformation, rehabilitation and reintegration of inmates in order to ensure a crime free society is the cardinal objectives of the Nigerian prisons service.

He explained that Jos Prison Houses Condemned Convicts from the North-East and North Central which informs the current swelling in the number of condemned prisoners in the Command.

He opined  that the Nigerian Prisons Like any other Security Organization in the  country is bedeviled by challenges ranging from the stigmatization of discharged inmates, prolonged neglect by the society  and over stretched facilities.

Noel reiterated that custodial education has been one of the major instrument utilized by the NPS to reduce the rate of crime in the state.

The NPS has employed all the strategies and policies into her custodian education program for the de-radicalization of inmates. The program includes tertiary education, secondary education, adult literacy, vocational and skills acquisition programs.

He disclosed that these are programs are employed by the department to ensure productiveness of the inmate who return back to the society nationwide.

2019: Why Plateau state central zone should support Gov. Lalong

A journalist and a Plateau state based political commentator comrade Sati Tanko called on the people of the Central Senatorial Zone to support Gov. Lalong in 2019, so that the zone’s turn in 2023 will not be truncated.

He said, the central zone need to safeguard the zoning arrangement that brought Lalong into power noting that anything short of that will affect the zone negatively.

Speaking to the grassroots news, Sati said, it will be wise for the zone to support Lalong to complete his constitutional and traditional two terms in office, adding that bringing in a new person who might want to complete his two term in office will deny the central zone the opportunity of producing a governor comes 2023.

Sati believed that Governor Lalong has proven his critic wrong as he continues to do credibly well and accomplish magnificent things in the state notwithstanding the economic recession. His feat in clearing all the backlog of salaries and pension arrears has endeared him to the heart of the Plateau people, aside from that, his accomplishment in revamping the moribund industries is a testimony to fact that he is indeed a rescue governor.

Comrade Sati also, held that the five pillars policy thrust of the Lalong led rescue administration has taken Plateau state into an enviable height among the comity of states in the country.

Comrade Sati Tanko noted that the massive decamping of politicians from other political parties most especially from the PDP to APC is an indication that Plateau people are responding to the impact of the Gov. Lalong led rescue administration and therefore want to be identified.

He said, with the decamping of Senator Dariye and the deputy speaker of the Plateau State House of Assembly, Yusuf Gagdi and host of others to APC has fortified the party position in the zone, coupled with the fact that the two Members of House of Reps in the zone have performed miserably poor.

Sati said the poor performances of Hon. Timothy Golu and Hon. Solomon Maren has continued to weaken the PDP in the central senatorial zone, noting that Timothy Golu has abundant his political supporters and admirers, especially those he works with when he was in State House of Assembly, and his continued disrespect to the elders of his political party is disheartening.

Comrade Sati called on the politicians in the central zone to begin to search for a credible candidate, because six years is just around the corner, we need to began to packaged candidates that would be acceptable to all Plateau people comes 2023 and the time is now.

Vigilante Group To Get Anti-terrorism Training – Commandant General

The Commandant General, Vigilante Group of Nigeria (VGN), Alhaji Usman Mohammed Jahun has disclosed that about one thousand members of Vigilante Group of Nigeria are to benefit from anti terrorism training this year.

Jahun who made this known in Abuja while addressing members of the organisation on VGN’s plan of action across the country for this year, said the training has became necessary in order to compliment the efforts of the present administration in tackling insecurity and all forms of insurgency in the country.

He stated that VGN had also mapped out other strategies to enhance the performance of its members nationwide and commended the support of the National Assembly to VGN.

While soliciting for the assistance of both the federal and state governments on the activities of the Organisation, Jahun explained that the organisation had lost about one thousand of its members to insurgency from 2010 to 2016.

He further explained that VGN had put in place welfare scheme to cater for the families of its late members across the country, while reiterating the determination of the organisation to continue to compliment the efforts of other security agencies towards protecting lives and property in the rural areas.

Organisation, according to him, is also embarking on adult education programme for its members to reduce the level of illiteracy among its members across the country.

The Commandant General stated that in order to avoid impersonation and other forms of criminality among its members, a  data base had also been created.

While advising members of VGN to always discharge their duties with sense of responsibility, Jahun expressed the hope that VGN Bill currently before the National Assembly, when passed into law, would boost the performance of the organisation nationwide.

LGAs autonomy: NULGE plans nationwide protest

The President, Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees  (NULGE), Comrade Ibrahim Khalee, has said  that local governments workers across the federation will soon embark on a nationwide protest to support the efforts by the National Assembly, to grant both administrative and financial autonomy to local governments in the country.

 he said  that the union, with support from the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), has concluded plans for the nationwide protest.

The President of NULGE, who spoke on the outcome of the Union’s National Executive Council (NEC), meeting held in Abuja and NULGE`s visit to the National Assembly, said the protest would be used to sensitize the members of the state assemblies on the desirability of local government autonomy.

 According to him, the protest is one of the advocacy activities mapped out to ensure that the local government areas are financially and administratively autonomous in line with the global standard practice.

 The NULGE President said: "One of the demands at the United Nations meeting was that the LGAs across the world be made to be autonomous in line with the democratic principles."

 He said the members of the unions have sanctioned advocacy protests across the six geopolitical zones of the country at the designated centres.

 Khaleel mentioned the centres to include Calabar, Cross River State in the South-South;  Enugu, Enugu State in the South East; Oshogbo, Osun state in South West;  Ilorin, Kwara State in North Central;  Jalingo, Taraba State in North East and North West zone.

 He said the union at the state and local government levels will also conduct similar protest.