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Democracy returns to Plateau
•Speaker opens up on Nov. 18
MALACHY UZENDU (Abuja) MOSES
EZULIKE (Jos) and CHINEDU WOSU (Port
Harcourt)
BARRING
any unforeseen circumstances, President Olusegun Obasanjo will lift emergency
rule in Plateau State in the next few days.
Officially, emergency rule should end
November 18, this year.
This was disclosed by Speaker of the
suspended state House of Assembly Hon. Simon Lalong, who spoke to newsmen in Jos,
the state capital yesterday on details of Monday night’s closed-door meeting
between the lawmakers and President Obasanjo at the State House, Abuja.
As controversy rages over the fate of
suspended Gov. Joshua Dariye, former national chairman of ruling Peoples
Democratic Party (PDP) and second republic governor of Plateau, Chief Solomon
Lar, insisted that Dariye must return at the end of emergency rule.
With accusations of financial impropriety
hanging on his client’s neck, counsel to Dariye, London-based Mr. Vincent
Doherty, said the money found in the possession of the suspended governor in
London recently was not public funds.
He stated that Dariye, even before
becoming governor, was well known to be a successful businessman "and
distinguished himself both as an accountant and as director of many private
companies."
Mr. Lalong, who gave journalists a run
down of their encounter with the President, besides their earlier discussions
with the Director-General (D-G) of State Security Services (SSS), Col. Kayode
Areh (rtd) and Attorney General of the Federation, Chief Akin Olujinmi said the
President may lift emergency rule in the next few days.
According to the Speaker, the President
showed so much humaneness all through their one-hour dialogue, adding that what
their heart-to-heart discussion revealed was that the Presidency had seen the
need to resolve the political problem in Plateau State constitutionally.
"For the very first time, Monday’s meeting
was really a family affair; he (the President) handled us like his children, and
we also treated him like a father, because all the time, for almost one hour, it
was jokes that we were cracking.
"And, at the end of the day, he showed the
real President talking to us. We engaged in a free discussion in any language.
"So he now said, ‘the ball is now in the
court of the state House of Assembly, whatever will happen, you have the
constitutional power to decide the fate of Plateau people."
Mr. Lalong stressed that this only pointed
to the fact that the Presidency had decided that it was incumbent on the state
assembly to resolve the contending issues.
Although some video clips of the alleged
financial transactions said to be involving Dariye were earlier shown to the
lawmakers allegedly by the SSS DG, the house may not rely on that to do the
bidding of those who he said wanted the suspended governor removed.
Instead, he said all the allegations will
be collated and looked into by the House when it returns, just as he added that
the House pledged to be up and doing.
"I told him (President Obasanjo) of his
experience in prison which he said taught him a lot of lessons, and that in the
same manner we told him that the six months period of emergency rule had been
one of sober reflections, that we will also prove to him that we learnt a lot of
lessons, we would be better, that the house will be up and doing," Lalong said.
"That was how we left, and he promised us
that we should expect to hear from him very, very soon, either verbally or
through a broadcast. That we should go back and be rest assured that we should
go and sleep , and we left in a very good mood as we left the Villa yesterday
(Monday) the speaker added.
Meanwhile, defending Dariye, Chief Lar
said he must return as governor.
Chief Lar stated this in Port Harcourt,
Rivers State, while briefing journalists at an occasion organised by Plateau
State indigenes resident in Rivers State.
According to the PDP chieftain, if the
British police had indicted Dariye of involvement in money laundering, saying
the governor is not yet aware and had not heard of same.
Said he: "They, British police, said that
Dariye was involved in money laundering, but the man had not been heard from.
How can you now adjudged him guilty."
"In law, an accused is adjudged innocent
until he is proven guilty. So as far as the matter is concerned, Dariye has not
committed any offence until a competent court of law decide otherwise," Chief
Lar declared.
Also yesterday Chief Dariye stated that at
no time did he steal nor divert funds meant for the state.
The governor in a statement signed by Mr.
Vincent Doherty, who claimed to be the deposed governor’s solicitors in London,
said allusion that the governor was arrested in London with huge sums of money
was the handiwork of Chief Dariye’s political opponents who were bent on
ensuring he never returned to the Government House.
Mr. Doherty in the statement also accused
the British police of violating Dariye’s human rights and other rights accorded
to personalities who carry diplomatic passport.
According to him, even though there was no
law prohibiting "the importation or exporting of large sums of money, there is
also no law which states that one has to declare that one is carrying such
money."
He stated that upon the invitation of the
metropolitan police, which he claimed acted based on lies told against the
governor by his political opponents, the suspended governor showed his immunity
and explained sources and purpose of the money found on him in his hotel room.
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