“Why 7 APC Lawmakers Weren’t Sworn In”, Plateau Assembly Speaker Explains

• The crisis rocking the Plateau State House of Assembly has taken a fresh turn as the Speaker provided fresh details on the matter
• In an interview on Friday, Hon Gabriel Dewan disclosed that the lawmakers were yet to meet the requirements of their return to the House
• Dewan disclosed that nine of the 16 embattled lawmakers have been sworn in as noted that “a pronouncement in the court is different from the procedures in the House”

Legit.ng journalist Esther Odili has over two years of experience covering political parties and movements

On Friday, April 12, the Speaker of the Plateau State House of Assembly, Gabriel Dewan, explained the reason behind his swearing-in of only 9 out of 16 members of the House who are members of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

“7 APC lawmakers yet to meet requirement” Speaker

Recall that the 16 APC lawmakers were returned to the House after the Court of Appeal sacked 16 members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) who were occupying those seats.

Last week, the Speaker swore in 9 members and left out 7, an action that has infuriated the APC.

Explaining his action on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Friday, Dewan said the 7 members are yet to complete the necessary procedures needed before they could be sworn in.

He said:

“Sometime in November, there was a pronouncement in the court that 16 of my members have been removed by the Court of Appeal. A pronouncement in the court is different from the procedures in the House.

“I wasn’t in the court, I heard it on air that 16 members have been removed. There is no communication to me from the INEC or the CTC of the judgement for me to be sure that truly those members have been removed or anything.

“And I was waiting for that proper thing to be done, what did I get? Sometime in January, a lawyer, one S.O Obende or so, wrote a letter to my office attached with 16 certificates of return of members and I replied back that Obende is not a member of my Assembly. If the court has declared members elect the members know the normal procedure to follow.

“The right thing to be done was for INEC to write to me as the Speaker directing me that based on this judgement, attaching the communication with the CTC of the judgement, that based on this judgement, we have been directed to withdraw the certificate of return from this honourable to these honourables. Therefore, we are directing you as the electoral umpire to recognise this person as your member, that was never done.”

Angry youths protest Speaker’s impeachment, storm House of Assembly

Meanwhile, Legit.ng had earlier reported that angry youths in Plateau state on Monday morning, November 1, 2023 staged a protest against the impeachment of speaker of the State Assembly, Hon. Abok Ayuba.

Recall that Abok was impeached as the speaker and replaced with Sanda Yakubu, who hails from the Pingana constituency of Bassa local government area of the state.

Sixteen out of the 24 members of the assembly voted in favour of the impeachment at the plenary on Thursday, October 28. Ayuba was impeached after a vote of no confidence was passed on him.

Source: Legit.ng