November 24, (THEWILL) -There is increasing tension in Langtang North local government area of Plateau State as Taroh Women and Concerned Youths embarked on a peaceful procession to demand the reinstated council boss Hon. Joshua Laven to be allowed into office without any hindrance or delay.
A State High Court presided over by Justice Ishaku Kunda in Jos had delivered judgment ordering the reinstatement of Hon Joshua U. Laven to office as c 7 p1hairman of Langtang North LGA to complete his 3-year tenure in office, and chastised the PLASIEC as a “rascal” for including the area in the recent local councils polls.
However, since the declarative judgement, Governor Lalong has been adamant as he has refused to obey the rule of law and allow the chairman iaccess into his office .
The protesting groups today hit the streets of Langtang North LGA simultaneously as early as 7am.
Dressed in black attire, some of them carried posters with inscriptions such as “Gov. Lalong, as a lawyer, obey the rule of law”, “on the rule of law we stand”, “Plateau State commissioner of Police, do the needful”, “Taroh women say no to impunity and illegality”, among others.
Speaking shortly after the protest procession to the Palace of the Ponzhi Tarok, the Divisional Police headquarters, and the NSCDC Office in Langtang North LGA to register their grievances, Grace Ponfa, one of the leaders of the women groups, said the reason for the peaceful protest is to draw the attention of the world to the crisis that this avoidable political debacle can cause in their land.
According to her, the women of Langtang North are crying and demanding for a total restoration of democratic order in the Council.
They are of the opinion that presently Langtang North LGA has no executive chairman to pilot the affairs of the council .
She pointed out that “we are all witnesses to the fact that at this moment that we speak, the Council has no chairman. This development has a negative consequences on the lives of the people of Langtang North LGA.
According to her, “we all are pained that our wards and children who have needs for indigene forms or attestation letters for jobs can’t access such because of the reason that they can’t say who is exactly the executive Chairman of the Council.The deployment of stern-looking security personnel at the Council secretariat is worrisome. Workers no longer go to the secretariat to work for fear of their lives which has equally retarded progress and developmentin the area”.
Similarly, speaking on behalf of the concerned youths who joined the procession, Comrade Menaseh Telzing Nimkur, said they are pleading with the royal father the custodian of their culture to make hay while the sun shines to appeal to the powers that be to listen to their cry and plight with a view to providing lasting solution to the current political impasse and move the Council forward.
They further urged Governor Simon Lalong, the State Commissioner of Police, Traditional Rulers, and all critical stakeholders to as a matter of urgency intervene in the ongoing crisis by ensuring that the rule of Law is adhered to, and enforced as regards the declarative judgement delivered by Justice Ishaku Kunda of the Plateau State High Court which ordered the reinstatement of Hon. Joshua Laven, as chairman of Langtang North LGC, to complete his three years tenure .
Meanwhile, the acting Ponzhi Tarok and Ponzhi Zinni, HRH Nimnan Langnim and the representatives of the Divisional Police Officer, DPO, Langtang North LGA, DSP Zingven Nankur, in their separate responses, commended both the women and youth groups for not taking the law into their hands by embarking on peaceful procession to register their displeasure over what is going on in their LGA.
