Govt shows video of Dariye's alleged financial deals
- Plateau lawmakers vow to verify 'evidence'
- Insist on return of democratic structure
From Isa Abdulsalami (Jos), Kodilinye Obiagwu (Lagos) and John-Abba Ogbodo (Abuja)
THE Federal Government on Monday, armed with video clips, strove to prove why the suspended Plateau State Governor, Joshua Chibi Dariye, is morally unfit to return to office.
At the Presidential Villa in Abuja where members of the suspended Plateau State House of Assembly arrived for a scheduled meeting with President Olusegun Obasanjo, the legislators were first ushered into the office of the Director-General of the State Security Services (SSS), Col. Kayode Are (rtd).
Led by Deputy Senate President Ibrahim Mantu, the legislators were treated to a video show of alleged sleazy financial deals by Dariye.
The legislators, however, seemed not prepared to comment or act on the information until they were restored to office and provided an opportunity to investigate the "evidence".
Council chairmen and traditional rulers from the state are expected at the Villa today.
Dariye was recently quizzed over the possession of huge sums both on his person and in his bank account. The Federal Government has asked a Federal High Court to remove the governor.
The Speaker of the suspended Plateau State House of Assembly Mr. Simon Lalong yesterday disclosed that the legislators were treated to the film show before meeting with President Obasanjo.
He added that Obasanjo pledged that the emergency rule imposed on the state on May 18 would end on November 18, being the terminal point for the six-month rule.
Lalong, at a meeting with journalists yesterday in Jos, said that the President gave the assurance after a two-hour discussion on the restoration of the state's democratic structure.
He however explained that the suspended governor could not be impeached without proper investigation of the allegations against him, adding that Obasanjo had promised to make a national broadcast that would end the emergency period before November 18.
The suspended Speaker said that the President blamed them for not taking appropriate action while the spiral of violence in the state, which led to the emergency rule, persisted.
He said: "Yesterday's meeting was a family affair, Mr. President told us that the ball is now in the court of the House of Assembly, saying that we have the constitutional power to determine the fate of the people of Plateau State."
At the end, Lalong continued: "Obasanjo said he would get back to us either by way of broadcast or verbal pronouncement to lift the emergency before November 18."
The Speaker said that the video clip of alleged illegal financial transactions and corruption against Dariye was shown to them before the meeting with the President.
Lalong said that his colleagues were, however, refraining from drawing conclusions, until the allegations are investigated and properly proved beyond doubt.
He said: "It is the duty of the Assembly to investigate and take appropriate decision if there is any allegation against the governor on any other public figure in the state", and that the House could not just conclude based on mere allegation.
Lalong said that "if Obasanjo restores democratic structure, we will tell them to come and play the video for necessary action if possible, we can go to London to investigate on our own."
He continued: "We told them, if you have allegations, compile them, restore democratic structure and submit them to us."
Lalong declared further: "The allegation of fraud cannot be used as a basis for extension (of emergency rule) because the allegation which led to the declaration of emergency rule was insecurity not looting of public fund by Chief Dariye."
According to the suspended Speaker, the other allegations, which are on security matters, are not impeachable offences and that the House would look into the possibility of impeachment once it is back in place.
The suspended Speaker commended the Administrator, Gen. Chris Alli (rtd), for restoring peace to the state within the stipulated period and assured him of a befitting farewell by November 18.
And in continuation of his meetings with Plateau State stakeholders, President Obasanjo will today at the Aso Rock meet with all council chairmen from the state. On Thursday it will be the turn of First Class traditional rulers.
Although the agenda of the meeting were not specific, sources said that the stakeholders would be given the documents on Dariye that were shown to the state lawmakers.
The Guardian learnt that the meeting with the council chairmen is also to emphasise the point the President made with the state lawmakers whom he told to endeavour to sustain peace in the state when democratic structures are restored.
The importance of the traditional rulers and the chairmen in the resolution and maintenance of peace in the state was stressed at the Peace and Reconciliation Summit where it was observed that most of the crises in the state started at the grassroots.
According to sources, the meeting is not likely to endorse calls for Dariye's resignation because "the traditional rulers and the council chairmen have been campaigning for the restoration of the democratic structures in the state. Their position has always been that the democratic institutions should be restored and that the constitution should be followed in any other decision that must be taken on state."
The Guardian learnt that the Committee of Traditional Rulers from Plateau has visited some northern state governors and emirs to plead for the restoration of democracy in the state. Among the states visited are Nassarawa, Jigawa, Zamfara, Kaduna, Taraba, Benue and Bauchi.
Also, some members of the House of Representatives from Plateau and Commissioners in Dariye's cabinet have asked the Federal Government to forward to the state legislature the list of offences allegedly committed by the governor.
At a press conference in Abuja yesterday, members of the House of Representatives led by Labar Wuyep and the cabinet represented by the Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs Mr. Aminu Zang, Yakubu Datti (Youth and Sports) and Dan Tenshak (Inter-Governmental Affairs), said instead of doing anything that would raise tension through unconstitutional removal of Dariye, the government should restore the democratic structures to the state and allow the lawmakers to do their work.
"Seeking to nail the governor over allegations of money laundering and deny him his mandate arbitrarily and unconstitutionally will be a sore point in our democratic experiment and further open the door for anti-democratic elements to subvert the constitution and democracy.
"We implore the President to follow due process by restoring all democratic structures and thereafter collate all the allegations against the governor and forward same to the House of Assembly to do what only they are constitutionally empowered to do," they said.
The pro-Dariye group also raised objection to the rumoured phased return of democratic structures in the state. It pointed out that the strategy would provide opportunity for troublemakers to achieve their selfish interest.
According to them, the phased return of democratic structures could be used by anti democratic elements to disrupt the return of the governor.
They added that the approach would provide the gap that miscreants need to do mischief while also creating a constitutionally incongruous situation in which the House would work for a week under an administrator.
The officials therefore advised that all democratic structures should be restored at once so that the people would have time to resolve with their problem through constitutional means.
Assuring that the return of Dariye would douse tension in the state, they said the emergence rule had taught the people a lesson.
