Governor Joshua Dariye Of Plateau Will Handover Says Hon Yakubu Dati

Prince Charles Dickson

If men were God, the next State that will witness a similar fate to that of Ekiti would be Plateau State and it would be a record second time. However with its Governor Joshua Dariye, the State has proven that it has more than the proverbial nine lives when it comes to escaping the political sledge hammer, politically it is tense now, in the past it had equally survived ethno-religious skirmishes.

But with two speakers of the State Assembly battling for power it is ‘an anything can happen situation’, a fortnight ago two persons were confirmed dead during a protest in which Police opened fire on protesters. While there has been heavy army presence in the State. Legal fireworks are also on between the State PDP, INEC, and former PDP members now with the AC.

The Independent National Electoral Commission has ordered for a bye-election next Saturday, however reports at our disposal say they have cancelled the earlier order but the PDP says they have no official statement to that effect and so they are preparing for the elections into the vacant seat.

The premises of the State House of Assembly is under lock and key with workers there outside and we hear that a panel may soon be constituted by the time this interview hits out.

This is all part of the drama in Nigeria at large and Plateau is central in Nigeria's history and fortunately is also part of the PDP story; the first Chairman of the Party was from Plateau, while President Obasanjo got his first nomination in Jos, the Plateau State capital. Barely hours before the President's declaration of a State of Emergency we were guest of the Plateau State Commissioner Of Information Hon, Yakubu Dati. Plateau State was the first in this democratic dispensation to taste the pills of emergency rule.

In this exclusive interview with the spokesperson of the government we took him several issues from those bothering on the State, to national matters, we asked him if Dariye would survive the present onslaught, if the Governor was preparing his escape route and how did the present trouble all begin.

He spoke with Prince Charles Dickson and Sa'a Abdul

QUESTION: What exactly is the situation on the Plateau

Hon Dati: Tense very tense my brother

QUESTION: Looking at the present drama in Ekiti, do you see the same fate falling on Plateau soon, and what is the official stand of this administration?

Hon Dati: Well on Ekiti...we looking at it from a broader picture, democracy is on trial and that is how we see it. The fact is that democracy operates and is sustained within the precinct of the rule of law...whatever is happening in Ekiti, Plateau, the FCT or anywhere is about checks and balances, it should be about the rule of law but when the Legislature assumes the role of the Judiciary then we have a problem. The reason why we believe some of these situations are the way they are is because the illegality is sustained and protected by the Federal Government. There are so many questions begging for answers. We do not support the abuse of democracy in Ekiti State.

QUESTION: The case in Plateau seems to be clear enough, the Governor is corrupt, pardon, is alleged to be corrupt and…

Hon Dati: (Cuts in) says who, the issue would not be as complex as it is if not for some selfish and disgruntled politicians. The EFCC conducted an investigation and sent its report to the State House of Assembly even the Attorney General of the Federation wrote the House, the House constituted a committee, it called on the EFCC to come and make its case, it conducted a hearing and then absolved the Governor of any wrong doing.

The EFCC then immediately set out to hoodwink the members of the State House claiming they were settled or that they were part of the whole allegations, they started arresting members blackmailing and framing them up, harassing members of the executive arm of government in the State

QUESTION: But Sir, there was the case of the constituency allowance and the car bribes given to the Legislator, all-amounting to about N7m each?

Hon Dati: We all cannot claim ignorance of the system, right from the local to the federal level, legislators are entitled to allowances for their constituencies what is wrong with that and when did that become a crime.

Besides let us face the fact the legislators were not dashed cars they were given car loans and this they were also entitled to, it was a scheme, nobody gave anybody car bribes. A car loan is not a dash, before the loans, we looked at how long they have to serve, are they entitled to it/ These are factors we took into consideration we did not dash anyone a car.

QUESTION: So the EFCC is the one responsible for the Plateau problem using Federal might...If we understand you well?

Hon Dati: We have no problem with government going about its functions legitimately but a situation where we have a fight with the Federal government is one that has been won and lost, we believe in the sanctity of the constitution; where there are checks and balances, a situation whereby the law is respected. We are not all part of the aberration. We are all witnesses to the military era of the past when a man who wanted to be life President was deceived and sadly those who deceived him are still there with Mr. President. Today we have a near Police Party called PDP; a command structure is being run. Things are not done the right way.

For the EFCC there are many questions they need to answer, they arrested 24 lawmakers of which 8 were released and immediately they suspiciously went about the impeachment of the Governor. We seem to have forgotten the Bayelsa style impeachment and at the end of the day the charges brought before the Legislators there were dropped. The EFCC cannot deny providing security and other logistics for the supposed impeached process, which as far as we are concerned is a null and void action.

A flip over of responsibility is what the EFCC is doing they are accusing, they are passing judgment, they are all in all upturning the Police, the judiciary and, the executive, they are claiming to be all and all and they forget that we do not have a monarchy...The rule of law and role of law has been is being thrown away.

QUESTION: Most people believe that Governors like Dariye are hiding under the rule of law and EFCC’ s method to claim innocence?

Hon Dati: The PTDF account has a place in all this allegations, at least you can now see the Mofas account which Dariye talked of and the problem between the President and Vice that there is more to it than meets the eyes.

QUESTION: But Dariye did not deny giving and under the law, both the giver and taker are guilty and this includes the President?

Hon Dati: Well you can say so…your words, the constitution says so, but the fact remains that neither you nor me have the power to declare anyone guilty. It is out of our realm. You cannot cross the boundary and that is the beauty of democracy. We must abide to the rule of the game, if you are playing volleyball you use your hand not the leg and when playing football you use the leg not the hand.

In spite of all the temptations to use our power we must resist it and abide by the law.

QUESTION: Does it mean we hid under the law?

Hon Dati: If you have be following what has been happening you know that there is this account and all the money went in there and all these monies went in there, so these are facts that are already on the streets. The revelations has confirmed or vindicated the Governor

QUESTION: There is a reoccurring Decimal in the Politics of Plateau between two men, the Governor Dariye and a certain Senator Mantu…what went wrong?

Hon Dati: The issue should be looked at from the point of view that it is, simply the politics of performance and non-performance between the two men, one has performed while the other has not, so the one that has not is doing everything to ferment trouble that is just the truth. One is a performer and one is not.

Senator Mantu has done nothing for the State, the essence of having such men up there is to bring development to the State from the federal level, despite the fact that demands outweigh the availability of funds on Federal level. His mates are doing so but he is there doing nothing, projects that he laid the foundation for since he became Senator are still where they are infact, contractors have left the site because of frustration.

This is a clear case. Look at the Teaching Hospital that has been at the permanent site for donkey years nothing has been done, the University is still at the temporary site and we have a Deputy Senate President from our place. Our market got burnt and still the way it is.

The Sokoto Market got burnt like that of Plateau and the Federal government came to their assistance, what influence is Mantu asserting to Plateau’s benefit

QUESTION: But there was a time when the going was good, when both men were sharing part of the Ecological fund?

Hon Dati: No, that is not correct, today we can see the truth of the ecological fund coming out, I suppose most of us are following the whole episode

QUESTION: But Senator Mantu denied partaking infact he said the 10m allegedly given to him was an insult?

Hon Dati: We waiting for a public denial, this is a man that lacks credibility, lacks a track record. If he did not he would have taken appropriate action it is not about making noise in the pages of newspaper.

QUESTION: Will Dariye be impeached?

Hon Dati: The people up should know you cannot play God, experience in the not too distant past show that when we plan things can change...we believe God has a role in all these. In 2003 they were those that believed the government will not return but they returned, the script is to remove the democratically elected Governor.

But I stand to be corrected and I state that Dariye would handover to a democratically elected Government come May 29^th 2007 that is a surety, it is certain.

QUESTION: But we are aware that the Governor has put in place machinery to flee the State if he is impeached.

Hon Dati: I Salute the level of imagination, he has no reason to want to escape, when the allegations started, the normal thing was done and he was absolved. One must understand what can keep us a nation, we must keep to the rules, operating within the confines of the law is what makes a democracy work. Not like the shooting of protesters by the Police, from the Hospital cards of one of the deceased it was obvious he was just passing by to the Hospital near the State Assembly premises.

Besides what makes a democracy is the right the people have to demonstrate, a right to what they feel is a trampling of their rights.

QUESTION: Earlier in the year I was robbed in Jos, dispossessed of valuables, recently too the spate of killings has been on the increase. What is this administration doing about security?

Hon Dati: Lets be frank first it is the sad part of urbanization, we are not happy about it and we do not subscribe to it. Several steps were taken; we now have over thirty vans donated to security personnel in the state. Every cosmopolitan city is facing the same problem, though I must say crime rates have dropped due to measures put on ground.

QUESTION: Part of the reason given by the Police for firing at protesters was a shot at sight order earlier given by the State Governor during a recent communal crisis.

Hon Dati: Then it was a security strategy and understandable the Governor then had made an on the spot assessment but the recent case was obvious that the security apparatus was playing out a script. They were shooting sporadically and indiscriminately at people, protest is an integral part of democracy. Tear gas or robber bullets are made for such occasions but to declare war on innocent people, on passers by who were wondering what the matter was are unjustifiable.

They came prepared for war, a war on the people. Plateau is under siege.

QUESTION: Again we are sure Dariye will get the Ekiti treatment sooner than later, we hear that he has perfected plans to run

Hon Dati: Nonsensical, it is not just true...He will handover on May 21st. The people of Plateau are ready to stand, their actions during the kidnapping and returning of the State assembly members show that the people have a resolve even at the expense of their lives.

QUESTION: But the eight members are determined to get the Governor out either way?

Hon Dati: (cuts in) they are barely six two have stood their grounds for the others we see it as a case of ignorance of the law ground and the inordinate ambition of some people.

QUESTION: Is Plateau still a PDP State as the Governor despite his suspension has still kept speaking from both sides of his mouth?

Hon Dati: These are issues that cannot be looked at in isolation. The PD has its roots in Plateau. It was even in Plateau that the decision was reached for the rule to accommodate the President who could not even at then win his own ward but today the right of this same people have been trampled upon. The issue in Plateau is beyond Joshua Dariye. You recall during the last registration a lot of us where denied registration, the Governor, his deputy, even myself, people like Ambassador Yahaya Kwande and the likes.

Don’t forget that Plateau has always played a founding role, we wanted the President to move from prison to praise but this is how we are paid, the whole executives were replaced with Mantu’s lackeys the Jonah Jangs that contested elections under the ANPP, Sangos and co from the State level to the grassroots.

The Plateau man is a conscious man; he protects his leader, in spite of the fallibility of leadership, so long as you meet their aspirations and longings they will be behind you and that is what the plateau people are doing. They recognize the human nature of their leader. Do you now kill them for that, because people disagree with you?

People are persecuted before prosecuted. At the rate we going a mad man will turn the nation into one big Prison in the name of fighting corruption.

QUESTION: Most people are of the opinion that the Governor has Deputy that is very loyal so this has also helped him?

Hon Dati: We thank God the Governor has a loyal Deputy yet he even calls his Deputy Baba .The Deputy is a good man that is why he has survived.

QUESTION: The Governor handed over the running of the State’s Local Government to the Speaker of the House and through him gets a remittance of 500, 000 every month from the local government Chairmen?

Hon Dati: What a script, I was once a Local Government Chairman so I should know better. The government through the CBN and its bodies disburses these monies and with the level of awareness is not something you can just do.