Benue assembly begs teachers to shelve protest

The Benue State House of Assembly has begged teachers and other workers affected by the ongoing verification exercise not to embark on any protest.

Our correspondent reports that the Nigerian Union of Teachers (NUT) in the state had threatened a strike if the state government failed to resolve issues surrounding the mass demotion of its members by Wednesday (yesterday).

But the assembly in a statement signed by the spokesman of the speaker, Akume Raphael, moved to intervene in the matter by constituting an ad-hoc committee for the verification of staff/civil servants’ salaries and wage bills while begging the unions to allow it to carry out a fact-finding exercise towards resolving the problem.

The committee has Esther Tiseer- Chairman, Matthew Damkor as member, Gyila Solomon- member, Manger Manger – member, Yanmar Ortese – member, Micheal Audu – member, Kennedy Angbo- member, Blessed Onah – member, Bemdoo Ipusu – member and Abraham Jabi – member.

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Also, the house called on the committees set up by Governor Alia to appear before it unfailingly on July 26, 2023 at the Assembly Complex to explain the general outcry caused by their recent activities. 

The house listed the governor’s committees on staff and salary verification, SUBEB/TSB, NUT, NULGE, the auditor general of state and local government as those to appear before its fact-finding committee.

Court upholds judgment restraining suspension of LG chairmen

A state High Court sitting in Makurdi on Wednesday upheld a National Industrial Court of Nigeria (NICN) judgment which restrained the governor of Benue State from dissolving or suspending the elected council chairmen without due process before the expiration of their tenure in office. 

Our correspondent reports that the court dismissed the Motion on Notice filed by the governor of Benue State, Hyacinth Alia, seeking the court to set aside the judgment obtained by the 23 local government chairmen at the National Industrial Court, Makurdi division. 

But the Chief Judge of Benue State, Justice Maurice Ikpambese, dismissed the application for judicial review for lacking in merit. 

It will be recalled that the Makurdi Division of the NICN had in a judgment delivered by Justice I. A. Essien, restrained the governor of Benue State, Benue State Government, Speaker of the Benue State House of Assembly, and three others from dissolving or suspending the elected council chairmen without due process before the expiration of their tenure in office on June 29, 2024, among other reliefs. 

In reaction to the judgment, the governor of Benue State, Benue State government, Speaker of the State House of Assembly, and three others filed a motion seeking a judicial review of the judgment of the National Industrial Court. 

Justice Ikpambese, while ruling on the application, held that a court can only sit over the judgment of a court of coordinate jurisdiction if the judgment is a nullity or the judgment was obtained by fraud. 

He therefore ruled that the court is incompetent to review the judgment of a brother-court especially as the issue of jurisdiction was dealt with in the said judgment.

The judge further held that there was no basis for the applicants to approach the court for a judicial review, and added that what the applicants ought to do was to appeal the judgment of the National Industrial Court. 

Justice Ikpambese accordingly dismissed the application for lack of merit.

Similarly, the court also dismissed the originating summons by the chairmen against the Benue State governor and five others challenging their suspension, on the grounds that the same reliefs sought in the suit before the court were granted by the National Industrial Court, which is a court of coordinate jurisdiction. 

Reacting to the development, the chairman of Kwande of Local Government Area, Orjiir Gbande, described the judgment as sound, saying it is also a victory for democracy.