The Benue State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has accused Governor Rev. Fr. Hyacinth Alia of disregarding a court order by appointing caretaker local government chairmen.
In a statement released to journalists in Makurdi on Thursday, the party’s state publicity secretary, Bemgba Iortyom, made these allegations.
Governor Alia had unveiled a list comprising eight individuals for caretaker committees in each of the 23 local government areas of the state.
This action followed the suspension of the 23 council chairmen, who were elected during the previous administration of Samuel Ortom, based on the state assembly’s recommendation after probing their activities.
The chairmen, inaugurated for a two-year term on June 29, 2022, had obtained a judgment from the National Industrial Court in Makurdi, preventing the state government, its agents, successors, or associates from removing them from office before the expiration of their tenures.
The PDP in the state expressed dismay that despite the state government’s failure to appeal the court’s decision, the directives from the state high court had been disregarded.
“The council chairmen through their lawyers had proceeded and commenced contempt of court proceedings against the government of Hyacinth Alia and the Benue State House of Assembly, serving on them variously and separately Notice of Consequence of Contempt Proceedings, on 27th June 2023, and had also approached the High Court of Benue State seeking through an ex parte application and a substantive suit to have the Benue State Government restrained from interfering with their lawfully vested mandate and tenure of office, both of which I’m addition to other recent orders of court recently in same vein were granted.
“All of those orders of court did not deter the Benue State Governor from going ahead in impunity to order the suspension of the duly elected local government council administrations.
“PDP decries this open showing of contempt for the rule of law which is the open preference of Governor Alia in his dealing with the local government tier of administration, as it bodes grave ill for the quest to sustain and deepen constitutional democracy as the lawfully adopted form of government in Nigeria,” the statement read in parts.
The party described the moves by the state government as not only an affront to the judiciary but also a direct attack on the democratic rights of the people of Benue State.
“PDP reminds Governor Hyacinth Alia and the Benue State Government that the judiciary is a fundamental pillar of our democracy, and its decisions must be respected and upheld by all.
“The appointment of caretaker committees in open disregard of subsisting court orders is not only illegal but also negates the principles of democratic governance, which he swore on oath to uphold,” Iortyom said in the statement.
