Plateau State Government has for the first time made an official statement on the lingering chieftaincy tussle of the Sum-Pyem of Pyem chiefdom in Mangu local government area since the Supreme Court judgement of February 1st 2019.
The state government, in a statement signed by the Commissioner of Information and Communication, Dan Manjan, stated that the judgment of the Supreme Court which restored Arch. Hudu Manomi had merely restored the declaratory judgment of the High Court of Plateau State.
Manjang said the judgment went no further than to pronounce Manomi as being eligible to contest and that he was duly selected at the selection exercise held on 17th May 2004.
He said under Nigerian law, declaratory judgments and orders were not binding as they merely declare the existence of a legal relationship without any order directed at a specific person for compliance or enforcement.
“The judgment of the State High Court which the Supreme Court restored contained no order nullifying the selection of the current Sum-Pyem which was conducted on 26th November 2013. It contained no order directing the Governor of Plateau State, the Mangu Local Government Council or any government agency to install Arch. Hudu Manomi as Sum-Pyem,” it stated.
The Commissioner explained that Governor Simon Lalong cannot, without a mandatory order of a competent court of law remove the incumbent Sum-Pym, a beneficiary of the exercise of an official act by then past governor of the state, adding that, “the occupation of the stool of Sum-Pyem by Charles Mato Dakat is presumed regular until the contrary is proven”.
He advised Manomi, who has been engulfed in a 15 year legal tussle for the stool, “to seek judicial determination of the status of the judgment of the Supreme Court being relied upon by him in his demand for installation as Sum-Pyem of Pyem Chiefdom.”
The Commissioner appealed to all citizens of the state to be law abiding and to maintain the hard-end relative peace in the state assuring that governor Lalong is a governor for all citizens irrespective of tribe or creed.
Arch. Hudu Manomi while reacting wondered why the state government kept silent for nine months since the judgement despite several communications including a pre-action notice and consent to enforce the said judgment.
He said it was obvious that the present administration had panicked by the media report of last week which put them on the defensive.
”If they had responded to the communication earlier, as such we all wouldn’t have been where we are today. However, as law-abiding citizens, we shall continue to take necessary steps and actions as legally possible, even if the government continues to presume and condone illegality as legal,” he said.
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