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Sen. Joshua Dariye, the former governor of Plateau, has called for calm over the removal of Dr Julius Dabilang as the Senior District Head of Mushere in Bokkos Local Government Area (LGA) of Plateau.
Dariye made the call shortly after an expanded meeting of stakeholders from Mushere Chiefdom in Jos.
The State Government had appointed Dabilang as the senior district head of Mushere.
However, some persons wrote a petition challenging the appointment over the conviction of Dabilang by a High Court in Nasarawa State in 2023.
The removal had led to a protest organised by women in the community, who matched on the streets naked.
The petitioners, having supported their claim with the court judgement that convicted Dabilang, forced the government to depose him.
Dariye, who said that the removal of Dabilang was in accordance with the law, called on residents of Mushere to be calm and law abiding.
Dariye, who holds the title ”Kawun Mushere”, explained that the meeting, had district heads and all title holders in Mushere Chiefdom in attendance.
He decried that the removal of the former district head has caused serious division among the people, hence the intervention of the traditional institution and other critical stakeholders.
“At the time of selection, most of the selectilors did not know that Dabilang had been convicted of criminal case.
“They were not aware of that fact. But the law is the law and he who come to equity must come with clean hands.
“We have to move forward. We must unite the land. We can’t remain divided in a wrong scenario where our women are protesting naked.
“We have several killings in Mushere land but our women have never come out naked. We don’t have nudity in Mushere; it’s strange to our land,”he said.
Dariye, who represented Plateau Central in the Senate between 2011 and 2019, commended the state government for deposing Dabilang, however faulted it over poor communication.
He said that government should have banned Dabilang from the community after his removal, saying that his continuous stay in the community was creating serious acrimony.
He advised the government to quickly appoint someone to fill the position on acting capacity pending the appointment of a substantive one.
Also speaking, Mr Gideon Kuttu, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), said that government acted within the confine of the law on the matter.
Kuttu noted that those who petitioned the government on the matter also acted within context of the law.
He said that the deposed district head, who hid his earlier conviction by the court, had also contravened the law for seeking elective position.
“Naturally, once you are convicted, you do not go to places like this; you don’t go into contesting for elective offices, because either today or tomorrow, definitely the information will spill out.
“And to put the record straight, those who petition the Attorney General’s office or the government of the state did that within the context of the fact that they are aware and are armed with documents and evidence of his conviction,”he said.
Kuttu who, called on Dabilang to desist from fanning embers of hatred among the people, also called on Mushere people to study the facts on ground and not allow anyone use them for personal gains.
Also speaking, Mr Jones Murapkyes , the National President, Mushere Youth Movement, promised to calm the youths who were already mobilising to join the ongoing protest by the women.
“I guess our women acted on ignorance, now we know the truth and we will go back to sensitise our people.
“Our youths were also planning to protest, but with the fact on ground, we shall not allow it to happen because the truth is now clear,”he said
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