The speaker of the plateau house of assembly, honourable Gabriel Dewan, has finally sworn in nine out of the 16 members of the all-progressive congress (APC) who were declared winners by the appeal court.
The new lawmakers were declared winners after the court of appeal sacked the 16 Peoples’ Democratic Party, PDP, members on the grounds that their party was not qualified to sponsor candidates in the election.
The speaker had stated that he received a court directive not to swear in the affected members until a determination of the suit filed by sacked PDP lawmakers who challenged the appeal court’s judgment.
The speaker swore in the nine members at the old government house, where the house is temporarily conducting its legislative activities.
No reason was given as to why the remaining seven members were not sworn in by the house.
The swearing-in ceremony reportedly took place in the early hours of Friday, April 5th, 2024, in Jos, the state capital.
One of the newly sworn-in members was subsequently appointed as the Assembly’s Deputy Speaker.
The swearing-in of the lawmakers is likely to have significant implications for the political landscape of Plateau State.
The Peoples’ Democratic Party in the state had called for the lawmakers not to be sworn in after an Appeal Court dismissed an election petition tribunal’s verdict against the party’s lawmakers, who were sacked.
