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Lar under fire over call to divide North
Yusuf Alli, Tobi Soniyi and Jude Onwuamanam
The former Chairman of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party, Chief Solomon Lar, has come under attack for saying that the North may never know peace until a separate region is created for the Middle Belt.
In what appeared to be the North�s official position, a former President of the Newspapers Proprietors Association of Nigeria, Mallam Ismaila Isa Funtua, said on Thursday that the demand for the severance of Middle Belt region from the Northern part of the country by the former Plateau State Governor was �reckless and inciting.�
Funtua, who condemned Lar at a news conference in Abuja, said that it was unfortunate that Lar was canvassing a divided North.
He said, �Lar is an elder statesman. During the recent past, he has been saying all kinds of things but we refused to join issues with him.
�It is most unfortunate that he was saying that the North has to be divided into two with his so-called Middle Belt Region separately carved out. He also said that there would be no peace unless Middle Belt Region is allowed to be.�
Funtua, a member of the Reconciliation panel of the Arewa Consultative Forum to Plateau State said, �It is a very callous statement for anybody to mention that if a, b, c is not done, there will be no peace.
�Any pikin wey sey hin mother no go sleep, he too no go sleep. I think that kind of statement from Lar is reckless and careless. And we are watching what the Federal Government would do about it.
�What we need in this country is peace to be our brother�s keepers. Why should we fight on the basis of religion? Why should anybody think that he could use religion or tribal sentiments to promote disharmony.
�If the Federal Government keeps quiet over Lar�s pronouncement, some people will regard it as flying the government�s kite.�
Funtua�s criticisms came as indications emerged that the imposition of emergency rule in Plateau State had caused more cracks among elders in the Northern part of the country.
Findings by our correspondent revealed that Middle Belt leaders, led by Lar, felt deeply uncomfortable with events in Plateau, believing that key Northern elders had pressured President Olusegun Obasanjo to declare emergency rule in the state on May 18.
A source told our correspondent that Lar and other Middle Belt leaders considered past reconciliatory efforts by the Emir of Zauzzau, Alhaji Sheu Idris, as being in favour of one religious group.
The source said, �Middle Belt elders, led by Lar are already regrouping to meet President Olusegun Obasanjo on the implications of the state of emergency on the future of the Middle Belt.
It was further gathered that Lar�s statement at a reception for the new Secretary General of the Christian Association of Nigeria, Mr. Samuel Salifu, on Monday further created a gulf between Middle Belt leaders and key Hausa-Fulani figures.
At the reception, Lar had said, �The North may never know peace unless the Middle Belt Region is recognised as a separate entity from the North.
�Lord Lugard would have created the Middle Belt as a separate entity from the North but some elements in the North manipulated their way and the North remains one region.�
It was learnt that in the last 48 hours, key leaders of the North had felt insulted by Lar�s statement and had been trying to reach out to Obasanjo.
A highly placed source in the Peoples Democratic Party said, �We are worried that the Plateau State crisis is taking a new dimension among stakeholders.
�The President meant well and he took the right action. But, recent events have shown that ethnic and religious colouration had crept into the issue at hand.�
Meanwhile, the Supreme Court has fixed October 21 for the hearing of a suit filed by the Plateau State House of Assembly, challenging the state of emergency in the state.
Chief Afe Babalola, counsel to the Federal Government and a Senior Advocate of Nigeria disclosed this on Thursday at the hearing of a similar suit filed by two Plateau State citizens at the Federal High Court in Abuja.
Babalola drew the court�s attention to the suit pending before the apex court, saying that once the Supreme Court assumed jurisdiction in the matter, the Federal High Court ought to hands off.
The trial Judge, Stephen Adah asked that he be provided with the details of the suit filed at the Supreme Court so that he would be properly guided as to what step to take next.
He adjourned the matter to July 27.
About 15 non-governmental agencies filed a similar suit.
Lagos lawyers, Chief Gani Fawehinmi (SAN) also filed another while some aggrieved citizens of the state equally filed a suit on the issue.
And in Jos, a Federal High Court declined jurisdiction to hear another suit instituted by the suspended members of the State House of Assembly against the Federal Government.
The ruling by Justice Haladu Soba was sequel to an application by counsel to the Fderal Government, Mr. Lateef Fagbemi, asking the court to transfer the case to Abuja, which according to him, is where the respondents reside and carry out their businesses.
While not contesting the issue of jurisdiction of the Federal High Court to handle the case, Fagbemi argued that the machinery of government would be grounded to a halt if the defendants should travel to Jos to defend themselves
But counsel to the plaintiffs, Mr. Okey Akobundu, argued that since all the plaintiffs reside in the tin city and carry out their functions in Jos, the only place where their suit could be heard was also in Jos.
Citing several sections of the Federal High Court Act and the Constitution Akobundu argued that there was only one Federal High Court established by Section 249 of the 1990 Constitution and that under Rule 2 of FHC, 2000, such action could be initiated where the defendants reside or the action arose.
He argued that Obasanjo whose jurisdiction is the entire country, imposed the state of emergency on the state and as such he should be able to answer for his action in any par of the federation.
However in his ruling, Soba agreed with Fagbemi that since the defendants live in Abuja, the natural thing is for the case to be heard in Abuja.
The Punch, Friday July 16, 2004
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