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Plateau: How Laven was reinstated as council chairman by court

 

The embattled Chairman of Langtang North local government, Joshua U. Laven, who was denied spending his three years as spelt out by the Section 30 of the Local Government Law of Plateau State was on Tuesday ordered by a Plateau State High Court to assume his position as chairman of the council with immediate effect.

Saga Gist recalls that Laven contested on the platform of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) against the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, Amos Nanloh for the chairmanship seat of Langtang North local government in 2018 and the Plateau State Independent Electoral Commission (PLASIEC) declared Nanloh elected and he was sworn in.

However, Laven went to court where the election was quashed in his favour, and he was sworn in as duly elected as the chairman on October 9, 2019 for the period of three years.

But after spending two years in office, PLASIEC declared his seat vacant by advertisement in the media which led Laven to approach the Court.

Delivering his judgment, Justice Ishaku Kunda, asked Laven to resume office immediately without delay to complete his three-year tenure which terminates on 9th October, 2022 as he took oath of office on 9thOctober, 2019.

Kunda described the whole scenario where Laven was stopped from completing his tenure as an act of “impunity, illegality and executive rascality which must end forth with”.

The Judge said, “Laven’s tenure cannot be arbitrarily aborted before his tenure elapses.

“The election held thereof was nullity. Laven shall go back to the local government to complete his tenure as the Executive Chairman of the council. I hold and warn that the defendant (PLASIEC) should not disobey this judgement.”

Speaking after the judgment, Counsel to Laven, Niri Darong, thanked the judge for his industry and judgement, asking for N5million costs from the defendant (PLASIEC) for their legal appearances all this while.

But the defendant asked the court to temper justice with mercy and should not agree to the cost.

Having considered the two submissions, Justice Kunda granted N2.5million costs against the defendant.

In his reaction, the embattled chairman (Joshua Laven) said that democracy must be encouraged in the land.

He maintained that the government is getting it wrong, saying that the person who knows the law is the one flouting it as the present government is not prepared for leadership.

“Judiciary is the last hope of the common man”, he stressed.

In her reaction to the judgement, Hon. Beni Lar, a member of the House of Representatives representing Langtang North and Langtang South, thanked all who appreciated the truth even though they are not members of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP).

According to her, Laven had just concluded two years but all of a sudden, PLASIEC advertised his post as vacant, wondering whether there is a constitution in the country and PLASIEC went ahead to conduct a Kangaroo election.

“In fact, there was no election. Even nowadays we saw six people impeaching a speaker.

“I thank the judiciary, I can’t imagine myself that I am sworn in for four years and after three years, somebody wants to occupy my seat. This victory today shows that God is on the throne. I thank the judiciary for the judgment”, she stressed.

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