By Marie-Therese Nanlong

Jos—14 embattled local government chairmen in Plateau State had sued the state government for alleged illegal dissolution of the councils and contempt of court.

The council chairmen had earlier approached the court through their counsels, Messrs Philemon Dafi and Gyang Zi, and obtained an injunction to stop their dissolution which the state governor, Simon Lalong, ignored and went ahead to dissolve them on July 6.

Justice Ambrose Allagoa of  Jos Federal High Court, in an order dated July 10, declared that the chairmen should remain in their offices, pending the determination of the case before him.

The court also granted leave to the chairmen to re-serve the State House of Assembly and Attorney-General Forms 48 and 49 by substituted means to wit; “by pasting same on the entrance doors of the offices of the 1st and 2nd Defendants.”

The court also granted them leave to serve on the State Commissioner of Police and all relevant law enforcement agencies with the court injunction earlier issued to the chairmen on June 16 restraining the governor from sacking them.

The order restrained the House of Assembly, the Attorney General, 1st and 2nd defendants respectively, from doing anything or taking any step contrary to the rights of the chairmen to remain in office with their deputies.

It pointed out that by section 7 (1) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999, as amended, the chairmen who were sworn-in on March 3, 2014, had a tenure of three years.

The order was emphatic on the chairmen remaining in their offices, pending the determination of the Applicant’s Motion on Notice by the court.