Plateau government has faulted the directive issued by police commissioner Julius Alawari, to unseal the secretariats of the state’s 17 LGAs, allowing the suspended chairmen to operate.
Plateau’s attorney general, Philimon Daffi, faulted the move while briefing journalists shortly after an emergency security council meeting on Sunday in Jos.
The meeting was presided over by Deputy Governor Josephine Piyo.
Governor Caleb Mutfwang had on June 1, suspended all democratic structures in the 17 local councils and appointed transition committee chairmen.
The suspension followed the recommendation of the Plateau parliament over allegation of financial mismanagement by the suspended chairmen.
Recently, the police unsealed the LGAs’ secretariats and directed staff to resume work.
The directive, however, exempted all political officeholders pending the outcome of their litigation.
The attorney general, said the directive issued by the command on Saturday, asking the suspended council chairmen to resume official duties was faulty, claiming the directive was causing tension in Plateau.
‘’The directive has generated a deep-seated animosity. It is heating the polity and also creating serious tension across the state. The suspended chairmen have sued the state government seeking for restorative order after the interim transition chairmen were inaugurated,” the Plateau government explained. ‘’The application for restorative injunction has not yet been heard, it is a matter that is still pending in court.”
Mr Daffi explained that the Plateau government had also gone to court regarding directive by the previous police commissioner in the state , Bartholomew Onyeka, who directed the sealing of local government secretariats.
‘’We went to the Bukuru Upper Area court and prayed the court for an order to open up the local government secretariats. The court heard our prayers and granted the order.
”The order was served to all security agencies and other relevant organisations, but we received with deep shock another directive asking the suspended chairmen to resume office,” Mr Daffi stated.
Mr Daffi said the emergency security meeting was organised to consult with all security agencies in Plateau toward ensuring law and order.
According to him, the council also deliberated on ways to manage plans by some groups in Plateau to react to the latest police directive.
(NAN)
