Benue: PDP Leaders Caution Over Chief Judge’s Removal, Tackles APC Elders

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) elders in Benue State have called for caution over the recent removal of the state’s Chief Judge, Justice Ikpambese.

The party leaders also took a swipe at APC Elders Forum over its attack against the Senate minority leader, Senator Abba Moro, over the issue.

The PDP leaders spoke at a press conference in Makurdi, the state capital. Speaking on behalf of the party leaders, Dr. Laha Dzever, faulted the suspension of the lawmakers over the removal of the state’s Chief Judge.

He said “We want to advise the State Assembly to return all their actions to the status quo because most of the Law makers on suspension are PDP representatives, representing various constituencies and must be allowed to diligently discharge their duties as the voices and aspirations of the hundreds of thousands of the people they represent.

“So we want to categorically tell the assembly to lift the suspension which remains an anomaly and an aberration within the ambit of democratic conventions.”

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However our correspondent gathered that only Three out of the 13 Lawmakers suspended including William Ortyom (PDP/Agasha) and Emmanuel Onah (PDP/Oju I) and Solomon Gyila (PDP/Gwer West) are members of the PDP.

While the Ten APC Lawmakers suspended includes Douglas Akya (APC/Makurdi South),Jonanthan Agbidye (APC/Katsina -Ala East),Beckie Orpin (APC/Gboko East), Simon Gabo (APC/Mata),
Elias Audu (APC/Gwer East), Anyor Matu (APC/Kwande East), Manger Manger (APC/Tarka), Samuel Agada (APC/Ogbadibo), Abraham Jabi (APC/Buruku) and Ezra Nyiyongo (APC/Ukum).

On the issue of the suspension of the Chief Judge of the State Justice Maurice Ikpambese, the elders said the judiciary, as a separate arm of government, should not be diluted with politics.

He added that any attempt to do so poses a threat to democracy.

“We advise the Benue State House of Assembly to act judiciously and responsibly, by always ensuring that decisions concerning judicial officers are made with integrity and fairness but above all to be rooted in the rule of law and due process.

“We equally emphasize the need for transparency and accountability in governance. The recent action taken by the APC led government in the state raise serious concerns about its sincerity and integrity. The PDP Elders in the ‘State urges the APC administration in the State to adopt open governance practice that would allow people to hold government accountable

“We further implore the APC elders to note that the blessing of age, experience and eldership bestore upon us a responsibility in words and in tone of language, to be more conciliatory than adversarial, to be more accommodating than combative and to be more measured than vituperative in speech.

“The primary concern of eldership is to embrace, support and promote peace which is necessary for societal stability currently desires in our dear state, Benue. It is un-elderly to do otherwise.”