By Muhammad Tanko Shittu
Jos
Governor of Plateau State Mr. Jonah Jang, has said that he is mulling court action against Honourable Ibrahim Baba Hassan, just as he demanded for compensation of N1billion over “wicked and malicious attack on the Government of Plateau State.”
In a document obtained by Blueprint, Jang who frowned at a statement credited to Hassan in the Guardian newspaper of Thursday, the June 5, 2014, to the effect that ‘…the missing N10 billion SURE-P mentioned in the petition is real… we most probe the state government over this huge financial scam because we are talking of public fund here.”
A letter from the Renaissance Chambers written to the legislator, signed by S.G. Odey, Esq. said on Governor Jang’s express instructions as “our client”, the said publication credited to the member are defamatory to the person of their client.
The letter said the words of the legislator are meant that, “Governor Jonah Jang is incapable of leadership in the affairs Plateau state.”
The letter said this and many more innuendoes are not only mind boggling but contain total falsehood full of mischief and offensive to person of Jang, stressing that the published statements has generated a lot of disdain expressed to the governor from across his family members, friends and political associates through several phone calls within and outside the country.
“In the light of the forgoing false and malicious publication concerning our client, you have 48 hours to offer unqualified apology by retracting the publication, … to be circulated in four national dailies..”, it demanded.
“Our client has instructed us to demand and we hereby do, that in addition to the retraction of the offensive and malicious publication, you pay to him the sum of N1, 000,000,000.0, (One billion)”.
Although the letter was probably mistakenly addressed to “Hon. Ahmed Baba Hassan” rather than Ibrahim Baba Hassan, Blueprint gathered from the legislator who said on a telephone chat that he has not yet seen the said letter, “So I cannot comment, I have my reservation for now.”
The issue of alleged gross misconduct of several billions of Naira by the Plateau State Government under Governor Jang, which was pending for probe before the state House of Assembly committee on public accounts as contained in the said petition written by a group, Plateau Patriotic Front” (PPF), has for the past weeks been the burning issue that has created a serious rift between the executive and the state legislators who had insisted that the petition should be looked into.
