The Plateau State Government has frowned at a misleading report which emanated from ‘Arise News ‘ claiming that the Plateau State High Court on Friday 23, June,2023 ruled that the former Executive Chairmen of the 17 Local Government Areas of Plateau State should remain in office. It also said that the court ordered that the status quo be maintained.
The government of the state is therefore demanding the management of Arise News to retract the inciting news story as well as to investigate the activities of the reporter who misled the station on the said matter.
This was made known to journalists in a statement signed by the Director of Press and Public Affairs (DoPA), Gyang Bere. He further explained that the misleading media content reported by an unprofessional reporter was not only aimed at bringing acrimony but for a selfish interest.
According to the statement, ordinarily,the report was not worth the reaction of the people’s centred government as it was not surprise as they believed it was coming from an untrained reporter who lacks the basic journalistic skills of reporting court matters.
However, the statement further explained that in order to correct the erroneous impression in the minds of the public and present court proceedings as they were, the state government wish to make it known that the Plateau State High Court on Friday 23rd June, 2023 sat over the suit No.PLD/J257M/2023 between Hon. Miskoom Alexander Naantuan, former Chairman, Shendam Local Government Council and 24 others versus the Governor of Plateau State, Barrister Caleb Mutfwang and Attorney General of Plateau State.
As a result, according to the statement, there was no pronouncement by the presiding Judge that the former local government chairmen in the state should remain in office and that the status quo should be maintained.
They further elaborated that the matter in contention was not an Appeal and that the presiding Judge did not deliver judgement on the matter as was reported by the Arise News.
There was no pronouncement whatsoever according to the DOPPA from the presiding Judge restraining the Executive Governor of Plateau State, Barr.Caleb Mutfwang from sacking the former chairmen of the 17 Local Government Council’s on the allegations of financial embezzlement. He added that the matter was adjoined to 22nd September, 2023 and not 18th September,2023 as stated by the Arise News for all pending applications and substantive originating summons to be taken to enable the court to deliver a composite ruling.
It said the reporter in question failed to interrogate the two leading counsels involved in the matter for clarity but opted to interview and framed the story from the point of view of his alleged paymaster, Alexander Naantuam, former Chairman of Shendam Local Government Council simply for the purpose of misleading the public.
For further clarity, the statement revealed that the former chairmen were suspended from office based on the advice of the 9th Assembly whose majority were members of the All Progressive Congress (APC), for their inability to provide financial expenditure for the 17 Local Government Councils.
According to the statement ,it was evident that the reporter was not in court during the said proceedings and consequently demanded that the management of Arise News retract the inciting news story and investigate the activities of the reporter who misled the station on the said matter.
The members of the public were advised to disregard the misleading news story from Arise News as the transition chairmen appointed by His Excellency, Barrister Caleb Mutfwang are fully in charge of the affairs of the 17 local government councils of the state.
