From Gyang Bere, Jos
Councillors from Jos North Local Government Area of Plateau State have reaffirmed that the All Progressives Congress (APC) will win Jos North Local Government with Hon. Sylvester Ari as Majority Leader of the Legislative Arm of the Local Government Area.
Councilor representing Tudun-Wada Ward, Hon. Azi Christopher Izang who spoke on behalf of the Councilors yesterday said 16 councilors out of 20 voted in support of Sylvester Ari as new Majority Leader of the House.
He expressed confident that with Ari, sanity would be restored in the party in Jos North which will give the party a landslide victory in 2023 election.
Izan said that the election of Majority Leader and other principal officers is a constitutional responsibility of the House and said there is no going back on the leadership change in the House.
He kicked against the letter written by the Chairman of APC in Jos North that it is the party that has the right to determine who becomes the majority Leader of the legislative arm.
“We are exercising our constitutional rights therefore, the letter send by the Chairman of APC cannot hold water, we believe that with Ari, APC will be stronger in Jos North ahead of 2023 elevation.
” We all know the performance of APC during the last Jos North/Bassa Bye-election and we don’t want that to repeat itself in 2023.
Izang said Jos North LGA spent over two decades without a constitutional authority and elected representatives and want to maximise all the opportunity it has to bring development to the people.
He also mentioned that as elected representatives of the people at the grassroot “we are doing our best to ensure democratic dividends is actualize.
“The changed in leadership for Jos North legislative arm is aimed at strengthen the party ahead of 2023 general elections knowing fully well that all 20 legislators are APC and the Local Government is APC.”
The majority leader, Hon. Sylvester Ari charged the executive members of the ruling All Progressive Congress (APC) to focus priority attention on stabilizing the party in the locality rather than overheating the polity.
Ari who is a Councilor representing Kabong ward said the change of leadership that were effective on Tuesday 22nd March, 2022 that brought about his emergence as a majority leader and Hon. Zakari Tali, Counsellor representing Sarkin Arab Ruwa ward as chief whip was a collective resolved by all legislators.
The majority leader said that the letter that was served by the APC party leadership in Jos LGA to interfere with the legislative business was illegal.
“when we were elected, I and my colleagues, as a majority leader and the Chief whip, the former majority leader and the Chief whip congratulated and embraced us also.
“Aside from that we went to the Local Government executive chairman (Hon. Shehu Bala Usman) and we were been presented to him as a newly elected officials and the Local Government chairman equally embraced us. He welcome the change and gave his blessings.
“As you know the legislative arm is the arm that is saddle with the constitutional responsibility of law making and other business of legislation. That any dealing in the hallow chamber is our constitutional responsibility.
“So for us we have embraced this Constitution and we are working with this Constitution. We are discharging our constitutional right….
“Well, the content of the letter which the party gave us is saying that they are the ones to choose the leaders for us. But constitutional speaking the party can only lobby the members and is left for the legislators to consent whether they will choose what the party want or they will choose the one that would truly work for them.
“But as you can see the members of legislative arm of Jos North is united and unanimously chosen the majority leader and my colleague as the chief whip.
“That is to say the members are very much comfortable and they really want me, my colleague and other principal officers to pilot the affairs in such a way that it will really moved the legislative arm forward”, he stated.