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Uneasy calm enveloped Jos, capital of Plateau State, yesterday as residents weary of the internecine violence in the state cautiously went about their business, hoping that the fragile peace secured by the military after the orgy of violence on Friday will endure.
Scores of riot policemen and soldiers under the command of the 3rd Armoured Division of the Nigerian Army, Rukuba, Jos continued to maintain security as they patrolled strategic areas and flashpoints in the capital city yesterday.
But many residents expressed fears that despite the heavy security presence, there were still ominous signs of danger as both sides of the divide maintained their mutually exclusive positions.
Those positions, are, however, expected to be subjected to the adjudication of the court today as the suit filed by the 14 lawmakers whose seats were declared vacant by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) comes up in Jos.
Already, Governor Joshua Dariye, who is at the centre of the latest crisis following an Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) inspired impeachment move, has called for the redeployment of the Commissioner of Police, Plateau State Command, Mr. Ibikunle Kayode, contending that his incompetent handling of the dispute escalated the crisis.
The governor made the call against the background of increasing condemnation, by political elders in the state, of the police handling of the constitutional crisis, which arose from the division in the state House of Assembly.
With the pro-Dariye legislators led by Speaker Simon Lalong and the EFCC-backed lawmakers led by Mr. Michael Dapianlong claiming authority of the House and insisting on holding separate sessions today, residents were apprehensive that another orgy of violence might be round the corner.
The situation, the Commissioner for Information, Mr. Yakubu Dati, complained yesterday, had be worsened by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), which on Saturday declared vacant the seats of the 14 Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) pro-Dariye lawmakers who had defected to the Action Congress.
This, he said, was not likely to be taken unchallenged by the people, particularly when the action of the electoral body was taken despite a court order, restraining it from declaring the seats vacant.
He said: "If INEC can go ahead to declare some seats vacant despite the Federal High Court injunction restraining it, and clearly published in the dailies (THISDAY 15TH OCT), then there's more to the declaration than the eyes can see.
"However, as law-abiding people we wait to hear what the court has to offer on the adjourned hearing".
Also reviewing the situation yesterday, Lalong said his group had called for a meeting to decide on what to do, adding that he would not comment further until after the meeting.
In his own comment, an AC leader in the state, Ambassador Yahaya Kwande, expressed grief that the state had been turned into a war front, blaming those he referred to as Abuja-based politicians for the crisis.
He noted with regret that the EFCC had turned to the police, the prosecutor, and the judge in constitutional crisis, cautioning the commission to tread carefully to avoid further violence in the state.
He said: "Can you imagine a small boy like Nuhu Ribadu calling Chief Bode George My foot? We have lost African ethics and this is too bad".
According to him PDP has withdrawn its case against the lawmakers because it knew it had no case.
The latest round of crises started two weeks ago when the EFCC led a group of eight out of the 24 lawmakers in his custody from Abuja to Jos where they purportedly impeached Speaker Lalong and elected Dapianlong in his place, and immediately read a lengthy list of allegations of gross misconduct against Governor Dariye.
But Lalong who had just regained his freedom via a court bail, rallied five of his other colleagues who had survived EFCC detention to oppose the move to impeach Dariye, contending that the group of eight's action was unconstitutional as the House was not properly convened.
An attempt by the group of eight to sit on Friday and start the impeachment process against the governor snowballed into the violence that claimed two lives.
Meanwhile, Afenifere, a pan-Yoruba socio political organization, and the Action Congress (AC) yesterday condemned attempts by the group of eight to impeach Dariye.
Afenifere in a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Mr. Yinka Odumakin, said the crisis was a sad confirmation of its prediction that "the shallow thinking governing our nation would throw the country into a crisis of unimaginable proportion."
In the same vein, the AC in a statement by its spokesman, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, faulted the decision of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to declare the seats of 14 members of Plateau House of Assembly vacant and conduct bye -election into the seats, saying it is unconstitutional.
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