Apparently basking in the euphoria of his victory at the Supreme Court, the Plateau State Governor, Caleb Mutfwang yesterday paid a ‘thank you’ visit to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for allegedly resisting pressure to interfere and influence the verdict.
Mutfwang also disclosed that both political and legal solutions were being explored to address the alleged injustice meted out to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) lawmakers from the state that were sacked by the Appeal Court over pre-election matters.
Speaking to newsmen after meeting with the President at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, the governor said he discussed the issue of insecurity with the Commander-in-Chief, stressing that the security agents were already on the trail of the perpetrator of the dastardly act that claimed scores of lives during the Christmas period.
Fielding questions on the purpose of his visit, he said: “I came to see the President, to say a very big thank you to Mr. President, for keeping democracy alive in Nigeria.
“As you all know, I went through a very protracted legal battle and I’ve said it openly and I am repeating that the Nigerian president is a powerful president.
“And if he does not exercise restraint in the exercise of his powers, he can intrude into the judicial arena and the judiciary will not be allowed to perform its function.
“In my own case and in several others, I’m sure, we can attest to the fact that Mr. President allowed the judiciary to perform its functions as it should, thereby guaranteeing its independence.
“I, therefore, must come to thank him for exercising that restraint because those who wanted to pervert justice also brought tremendous pressure on him to see how he could interfere. But I must put it that Mr. President choosing not to interfere is a credit to his statesmanship. It is a credit to his credentials as a sound democrat, and this is the only way we can ensure that our institutions mature to the point where they can guarantee not only the survival of democracy, but also ensure that institutions should be able to survive, develop and outlive individuals.
“And this is why I came principally to say thank you to the President. And of course, you know Mr. President will not meet me and not ask about the security situation on the Plateau. I also gave him an update.
“Things are relatively calm at the moment. The security agencies are on the pursuit of the perpetrators of this dastardly act that we experienced during the Christmas period and we are doing our best together with the Federal Government and international donor partners to be able to mitigate the pain of those families who lost their loved ones, and also those who are internally displaced.
“So, we are doing our best and we are also ensuring that we step up our security surveillance to prevent further occurrence of this kind of needless bloodshed.”
On the way forward for the PDP lawmakers that were sacked by the Appeal Court, he said different options were being explored, adding that the Plateau matter would enrich the jurisprudence of the country.
He said: “I think this is an ongoing discussion and I can’t tell you anything now, because we are looking at all the possible solutions, both legally, politically or otherwise to ensure that my interest is to have a peaceful state where I can focus on development and governance. And therefore, we want to ensure that we reduce all areas of friction as much as we can.
“I want to particularly thank Nigerians for the interest they have shown in the Plateau situation. We do not take it for granted. And I believe that out of the Plateau situation, our jurisprudence will be enriched and that justice will find a sure footing in Nigeria in the future.”
