Dissolved Plateau council chairmen go to court
From CHRISTIANA GOKYO, Jos

SIXTEEN local government chairmen in Plateau state have filed in an exparte motion restraining the state government from dissolving them.
The exparte motion was filed at the Jos High Court 12 by their counsel, Olisa Agbakoba (SAN) who said no governor has the right to dissolve local government councils, because they were democratically elected by the people.
Speaking with journalists shortly after filling the exparte motion, the consel said the court will determine whether the governor can or cannot dissolve the local government council chairmen and expressed concern over the way Plateau state has suffered a lot from the judiciary in recent times.
According to him, the dissolution of the local government councils is another impeachment in another link, saying that “for this could if you don’t follow what the law says it is clearly wrong”.
Mr. Agbakoba further told journalists that, “mine is to bring the case to court and to charge the people involved to court and what has happened in the state is unlawful. I hope that the judge will listen to our argument.
“What we did was to tell the judge the urgency of the law suit in view of the fact that the governor dissolved the 16 local government councils last Friday under a new law and the law empowers him to appoint transition caretaker committees to manage the local government councils,’’ he said.
The counsel further said: ‘’In view of this, the court has given us an order that the 16 local government chairmen shall maintain their status quo ante bellum pending the hearing of the motion on notice which is fixed for January 19, 2007 at the Jos High Court 12 under the Chief Judge, Justice M.I. Sirajo.
‘’The order stated that the defendant/respondent shall be served all court processes through the first defendant/respondent .
‘’The case is between 16 local government chairmen of Plateau state and the Attorney General of Plateau state, Governor of Plateau, the state House of Assembly and the State Independent Electoral Commission (SIEC).’’
Daily Triumph reported last Friday, that the governor dissolved the 16 local government council under the Local Councils Law of 2007.