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ACN Dissociates Self from Threats to Members of the Benue State
Governorship Election Petition Tribunal
Press statement
Newsdiaryonline Tue July 26,2011
Following the announcement in open court yesterday by Justice
Munir Ladan, Chairman of the Benue State Governorship Election
Petition Tribunal, that members of the tribunal were under
severe threats and intimidation and the subsequent adjournment
of sittings for one week, the Leadership of the ACN in Benue
State wishes to dissociate itself and all its members from such
acts of threats and intimidation and to state as follows:
i) That this is part of the grand design by Governor Gabriel
Torwua Suswam and the Peoples Democratic Party in Benue State to
cause delay and subvert the cause of justice.
ii) That the ACN has confidence in the judiciary and believes
in the capacity of the tribunal to restore its stolen mandate
and cannot therefore be part of any threat and intimidation that
would obstruct or block the course of justice.
iii) That we are aware and mindful of the mandatory
constitutional provision of 180 days within which the tribunal
must deliver judgment or the petition abates and God forbid if
such becomes the fate of our petition which is one of the
options being targeted by Governor Suswam and the PDP. While the
antics and tactics of Governor Gabriel Suswam aimed at
distracting the tribunal is going on, the time within which the
tribunal must determine our petition has not stood still. The
tribunal must therefore take into consideration, the right of
the
Petitioners to have their petition determined within the
stipulated time prescribed by the constitution.
iv) That the Federal Government should provide enough
security for the tribunal to dispose of its cases as the
Governor and the PDP are not above the law and the Tribunal is
part of a constitutional electoral process.
v) That Governor Gabriel Suswam should not expect that he
will steal the peoples mandate, force himself on the people and
obstruct, prevent or tie the hands of justice so that he will go
scout free with such criminality.
vi) That previously, the government of Dr. Gabriel Suswam
and the PDP intimidated and harassed the former tribunal
Chairman, Justice Daisy Okocha when she refused to compromise
such that she had to resign her membership of the tribunal.
vii) That we want the whole world to know that, when we were
complaining of the state of insecurity in Benue State under the
Governorship of Gabriel Suswam, we were accused of politicizing
and crying wolf when there was none, even as the chief media
Adviser to
our Candidate, Mr. Charles Ayede was gunned down by assassins
suspected to be agents of Governor Suswam and the PDP. This led
the arrest, detention and arraignment of our Governorship
Candidate, Prof Steve Torkuma Ugbah on charges of inciting
public disturbance a case which is still ongoing at the Chief
Magistrate Court 1 in Makurdi. Now
that two election tribunals have been threatened by insecurity
in Benue such that they cannot operate freely, the whole world
will appreciate the circumstances and challenges under which the
ACN has strived in Benue State. Our members have been
threatened, intimidated, harassed, beaten, molested, kidnapped
and even killed. No amount of such antics can subvert the will
and resolve of the people against the ineffective and corrupt
PDP government of Rt. Hon. Gabriel Suswam.
viii) That we want the PDP and Governor Gabriel Suswam to know
that, the people of Benue voted him out and his connivance with
INEC to rig his way and hoist himself on the people cannot
continue to endure forever, he should just prepare his defense
against certificate
forgery and election malpractice rather than indulge in such
Gestapo tactics as they are incapable of delivering him from the
wrath of the law and that of God.
ix) That further to the intimidation of members of the tribunal,
Counsels to the Petitioners have been variously threatened and
intimidated through various text messages and unanimous phone
calls cautioning them on the fatal consequences of the continued
prosecution of the ACN petition. We had reported some of the
threats to security agencies for their action. We also want to
use this opportunity to call on the Inspector General of Police
and other security agencies to thoroughly investigate these
threats which we have compiled and forwarded to them and provide
a level playing field for them to operate.
x) Finally, we call on all ACN members and supporters to
remain calm and law abiding as our fate in the judicial process
remains unshaken. We believe in justice and the rule of law and
see the judicial process as a means of correcting the thievery,
rigging and forgery perpetrated by Gabriel Suswam and the PDP in
Benue State.
Comrade Abba Yaro
State Chairman, ACN
...Decries Governor Gabriel
Suswam’s Refusal to Pay Minimum Wage
The attention of the Action Congress of Nigeria in Benue State
and the Prof Steve Torkuma Ugbah Campaign Organization has been
drawn to media reports in the National Dailies to the effect
that, Rt. Hon. Dr.
Gabriel Torwua Suswam; the Executive Governor of Benue State has
categorically refused or declared his inability to pay the new
minimum wage as contained in the Minimum wage Act passed into
law by the National Assembly.
As a former Legislator, Rt. Hon. Gabriel Suswam should know that
the new minimum wage is a law and Benue State cannot exempt
itself from its implementation if we are still one of the
federating states in Nigeria. We therefore urge Dr. Suswam to
without any further delay eliminate waste in government and
garner resources to pay the new minimum wage. We note with
dismay that, there has been continuous and mindless pilfering of
public funds by Governor Suswam and his cohorts and increased
corruption which is inhibiting the will power of the Governor
and the capacity of the state to pay the new minimum wage. We
reiterate that, Benue State, just like any other state in
Nigeria, has the capacity to pay the new minimum wage and Benue
workers should not be subjected to any further hardship
occasioned by Dr. Suswam’s insensitivity, misrule and
maladministration.
We reassure the people of Benue State that, an ACN government in
the state will hold the wealth and resources of the state in
trust for the people. The present disparity between the wages
and life style of government appointees and the declared
inability of the Governor to pay new minimum wage leaves much to
be desired.
Finally, we advise Governor Suswam to cut from his security
vote, reduce flamboyance in government and make judicious use of
the internally generated revenue to raise the resources to pay
minimum wage.
Hon. Onov Tyuulugh
Deputy Director-General
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