The Plateau State High Court sitting in Jos has reinstated the purportedly impeached Executive Chairman of Qua’an Pan Local Government Area, Hon. Isaac Kwallu, back to office.
The sitting Judge, Justice Nafisat Musa after a six hours judgement ruled that Hon. Kwallu is hereby reinstated and ordered the fourth defendant, Hon. Abdulmalik Yusuf Haruna to vacate the office with immediate effect.
She said the judgment is in the interest of justice, fairness and in promotion of democracy in Nigeria.
“It is highly unfortunate that the conduct of the proceedings of the panel was within a week.
“There is no how that the panel should have afforded the plaintiff the right to respond to these allegations against him. Consequently, I ruled in favour of the plaintiff against that of the defendant.
“On the whole, having resolved all the four issues in favour of the plaintiff, I hereby granted this judgment in the overall interest of justice, and the promotion of democracy in the country, this is the ruling of the court in this case,” she stated.
Following a consequent application by Counsel to the plaintiff for the release of the official vehicles to the Chairman. Justice Musa directed the immediate release of three official vehicles, ‘one Toyota Hilux, one Ford Hilux and one Prado Jeep” which were in the custody of the court to Hon. Isaac Kwallu.
She said the matter was keenly looked into the matter, the impeachment can be described as a stage management drama.”that is why I painstakingly look into this issue careful I don’t want to overlook anything so that nobody will say he was cheated.”
Counsel to the plaintiff Barr. Sunday Ekara speaking with Newsmen after the judge said the outcome of the case is born out of the relief brought before the Court which has reinstated the plaintiff back to the office as a democratically elected Chairman of Qua’an Pan LGA and the implementation takes effect.
He said the relief item number ‘L’ on their prayers brought before the court was asking the Court for “An order reinstating the plaintiff as a democratically elected Executive Chairman of Qua’an Pan Local Government Council and restoring all his accruing benefits and privileges forthwith.
“While relief ‘k’ is an order directing the fourth defendant who is presently occupying the seat to vacate the seat of the Executive Chairman of Qua’an Pan Local Government Council.”
The reinstated local government council Chairman, Hon. Isaac Kwallu while responding to questions from Journalists on the outcome of the case said, “To the glory of God the Father, the Son, and Holy Spirit; my joy knows no bound. I want to thank the good people of Qua’an Pan who gave me their mandate freely and that was why we had to defend the mandate which was freely given to us.”
He thanked his supporters who has kept faith with him in the struggle as well as citizens of Plateau State and called on especially the good people of Qua’an Pan LGA to put everything that happened behind them. “We are all politicians, we will meet again, and whatever it is I have forgiving everybody.”
Recalled that the Executive Chairman was suspended for three months by the Speaker of the Plateau State House of Assembly and was purported impeached by some local government Legislative members amidst an investigative panel which the Court said has not granted the plaintiff a fair hearing.
Counsel to the defendants J. Mantu
commended the Judge for a logical judgment. ”The ruling was so surgically and dissected, this is the first judgement i have ever stayed this long” he said.
Meanwhile, his counterpart Bare Solomon Gurumtet also appreciated the Judge for the energy put in ensuring a very logical outcome of the case.
