From John-Abba Ogbodo, Azimazi Momoh Jimoh, Alifa Daniel, Madu Onuorah (Abuja), Yemi Ogunsola (Lagos), Isa Abdulsalami (Jos), Saxone Akhaine (Kaduna) and Anietie Akpan (Calabar)
THE religious strife in Plateau State yesterday appeared set to consume the leadership of the state with speculation rife that the Federal Government may be considering declaring a state of emergency.
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The development comes on the heels of public declaration of peace by religious leaders in the state also yesterday.
Unconfirmed sources said last night that President Olusegun Obasanjo has directed the state House of Assembly to find a lasting solution to the incessant uprisings in the state or risk an imposition of emergency rule by the Federal Government. According to the Constitution, though, the President would have to be empowered by the National Assembly with an Act to remove a state's government and declare a state of emergency there.
An unsmiling and grim faced Governor Joshua Dariye emerged last night from a two-and-half hour meeting with the leadership of his State House of Assembly who were at the National Assembly to consult with Federal legislators in Abuja in a last ditch effort to save his job.
In another meeting, Senators and House of Representative members from Plateau State emerged from the office of the Deputy Senate President, Senator Ibrahim Mantu, looking gloomy.
Senator Cosmas Niagwan told journalists that they were leaving for another meeting at another location, all in a bid to solve the political crisis.
Mantu told journalists it was a "family meeting" that was held in his office. He looked angry, ignored other questions and entered his car.
It was learnt that at the close of meeting with President Obasanjo, the state lawmakers were advised to do something about the state's political leadership or have a state of emergency declared in the state.
"With this scenario somebody put a call through to the governor who rushed down from Jos to meet the leadership of his state lawmakers in the office of the Deputy Senate President."
After exchanging pleasantries with Mantu, Dariye entered another office with the leaders of his State House of Assembly members as National Assembly members were in Mantu's office discussing the way forward for our state.
The Plateau State Assembly Deputy Speaker disclosed that there would be a press conference today on the latest political developments in the state.
He admitted that the meeting in the National Assembly was inconclusive, adding that they were not aware of an impeachment move against the governor.
On why the Plateau lawmakers had to come to the National Assembly in Abuja to discuss the situation in the state, the Deputy Speaker said that they wanted to know the minds of their representatives in the National Assembly.
Dariye wore a grim face and was unwilling to entertain question from journalists as he entered his car and drove off shielded by security guards.
A delegation of leaders from the state had earlier held a closed-door meeting with Obasanjo at the Presidential Villa.
The delegation led by Dariye also included Mantu, members of the Plateau State delegation in the National Asembly and members of the Plateau State House of Assembly.
Sources told The Guardian that the delegation discussed the security problems in Plateau State, including the possibility of declaring a state of emergency being canvassed by some people.
The source said that President Obasanjo told the delegations: "If you don't want to a state of emergency, you need to come up with the options against it."
Meanwhile, Christian and Moslem leaders in the state yesterday resolved to end the crisis.
The resolution came just when many prominent Nigerians, including the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Alhaji Aminu Bello Masari and the Methodist Church of Nigeria (MCN), condemned the violence that erupted in Plateau and Kano states.
Also, some Christian organisations have picked holes in the manner President Olusegun Obasanjo spoke to the Chairman of the Plateau State Chapter of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Rev. Yakubu Pam, during his peace mission to Jos.
The religious leaders, who believed that enough was enough, also condemned the role of politicians in fuelling the crises in Plateau.
The National Tranquillity Movement (NTM), a Kaduna-based non-partisan organisation, brought the warring groups together yesterday where the leaders bared their minds and charted a new way forward.
The peace parley, which took place at the Conference Room of the Catholic Secretariat of the Archbishop's Court, Jos, had in attendance the Turakin Jos, Alhaji Inuwa Alli, who represented the Jamatu Nasril Islam (JNI) and the Emir of Wase, Dr. Abdullahi Haruna.
Others were the Anglican Archbishop of Jos, Dr. Ignatius Kaigama; President of the Church of Christ in Nigeria (COCIN), Dr. Alexander Lar, Pam, among others.
While opening the meeting, the NTM President Mohammed Ibrahim Gashash had told the religious leaders that they had not come to the forum to apportion blames.
The Emir of Wase, in his speech, condemned the spate of violence in the state, and also called for caution.
"When you say that I must revenge what has already happened, then there can never be a solution. Right, the wrong had been done. People have suffered on both sides. We are saying that revenge is not the right thing. We are not going to revenge. This is the oath that every Plateau citizen must take," he added.
The monarch wondered why the adherents of both religions have to quarrel and fight when they basically have the same goal to pursue and achieve.
"We should all go out to unite and preach peace among ourselves. We should also avoid rumour-mongering. On my own part, I will personally take the message to my people at the grassroots," he said.
The CAN chairman said that he strongly condemned the violence that erupted in Yelwa, as it had neither benefited the Moslems nor the Christians.
"I believe this is the handiwork of the devil, which if we are not careful, could snowball into a national disaster. Having said that, I think the leaders have to search themselves first because most time we sit, discuss and call for peace but at the end of the day, a different picture from what we have discussed would manifest itself," Pam said.
The meeting agreed to reconvene to iron out all the differences on a larger scale at an appropriate time.
The House of Representatives Speaker yesterday berated leaders in Plateau State for not curbing the violence.
He made the declaration when members of the Plateau State House of Assembly paid him a courtesy call in Abuja.
Masari noted that it was embarrassing for a crisis of that magnitude to occur in the state given the calibre of its leaders.
He recalled that not too long ago, one third of the members of the Supreme Military Council (SMC) were Plateau indigenes.
A statement by his special assistant, Leon Usigbe, said that Masari blamed the leaders for not acting early enough.
Angered by the religious colouration being given the crises, the Speaker said no true Christian or Moslem would engage in killings as were witnessed in Jos and Kano.
He warned on the consequences of allowing the crises to linger, saying that if the combatants finished killing their enemies, they would turn to wreak similar havoc on their people.
Earlier, the Plateau State Assembly Speaker, Simeon Lauloug, had solicited the co-operation of the House of Representatives in finding a lasting solution to the problem.
Also yesterday, the Igbo Community Assembly in Abuja condemned the killings in Plateau and Kano states.
In a statement issued by the President-General, Chief Nicholas Oyo, the Assembly called on all peace-loving Nigerians to see the violence as an issue of serious concern.
It frowned at the frequency of the crises in Kano and Kaduna, with attendant heavy toll on Igbo indigenes and called on Federal Government to put adequate measures in place to checkmate the incidence.
In the same vein, the MCN has condemned the recent violent uprising in some parts of the country which led to loss of lives.
The condemnation was contained in a statement issued yesterday by the church at the end of its 22nd Council of Bishops meeting held in the Diocese of Calabar.
The three-page statement which was signed by the Prelate of the MCN, His Eminence Sunday Mbang and the Secretary of Conference Rt. Rev. M.K. Stephen noted that the MCN was "disturbed by the recent violent uprising in some parts of the country such as Kano, Kaduna, Jos, Warri" and others.
Meanwhile, President Obasanjo's utterances against the chairman of the Plateau State CAN have been described as a welcome development having opened the eyes of the church to the dangers of playing the meek in the Nigerian environment.
According to the national president of the Youth Wing of the CAN, Dr. Nuro Oluwatade, Obasanjo's outburst has shown clearly that government respects only those who are security threats to it, while those who remain patriotic in the face of provocation are treated with contempt.
Also, the Kaduna State Chapter of CAN has cautioned Obasanjo over his utterances against Christian leaders, as they urged him to resign for failure to provide peace, security and good governance for the nation.
The state CAN secretary, Rev. Joseph Hayab, at a press briefing in Kaduna yesterday argued that it was a misnomer for the President to have openly used abusive language on the Christian leadership in Jos, where several lives were lost.
Specifically, Hayab who made references to the meeting between Obasanjo, opinion and religious leaders in Plateau State, faulted the language used by the President against the state CAN chairman, saying: "I am afraid, it appears Mr. President has completely derailed from his faith and this is because no Christian will look at his Pastor in the face and tell him he is an idiot."
In a related development, as fears of possible declaration of a state of emergency in Plateau State heightened yesterday, all members of the State House of Assembly have began serious moves to persuade the Senate and the Presidency against taking the decision.
The delegation led by Lanlong spent several hours with the leadership of the Senate yesterday before meeting Obasanjo at the Aso Rock Presidential Villa in company of the Deputy Senate President Ibrahim Mantu.
In an opening remark at the meeting with the Senate leadership, Lanlong said that they were in Abuja to discuss with members of the National Assembly from Plateau State, the Senate leadership and the President on how to amicably bring the crisis to an end.
Lanlong declared that the Plateau House of Assembly could not support the call for declaration of state of emergency in the state because of what he called the obvious dangers of the declaration.
Meanwhile, the deputy minority leader of the Senate, Daniel Saror, has requested Obasanjo to set up a commission of inquiry to establish the remote and immediate causes of the crisis in Kwande Council of Benue State.`
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