Plateau Assembly Reopens With Barred Access for 16 Sacked PDP Lawmakers

The Speaker of the Plateau House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Gabriel Dewan (YPP), has denied the 16 sacked members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) entry into the House of Assembly complex in Jos, on Tuesday.

LEADERSHIP investigation revealed that the only eight Legislators recognised by the Appeal Court drove in convoy with the Speaker to the Assembly complex located at the old Government House in Jos, venue of their sitting, for resumption of legislative business after weeks of Yuletide recess.

Later, the 16 sacked PDP lawmakers also drove in convoy but they were stopped at the gate by security operatives and prevented from going in to join their supposed colleagues for the business of the day on the order of the Speaker.

Speaking to journalists thereafter, the Speaker of the House, Rt. Hon. Dewan said the 16 sacked lawmakers can’t resume sitting because the law must be obeyed.

LEADERSHIP reports that the 16 former members of the House were sacked by the Court of Appeal over lack of structure by their political party at the time of the 2023 elections. The appellate court ruled they were not properly nominated for the March 18, 2023 State Assembly elections, hence their elections were voided.

But on the same premise, the state governor, Caleb Mutfwang, also elected on the platform of the PDP, was initially sacked by the Appeal Court but later got a reprieve at the Supreme Court, which ruled that nomination of candidates for elections is an exclusive preserve of a political party which should not be dabbled into by the courts or any external person.

Consequently, the aggrieved 16 PDP members have insisted on retrieving their legislative seats in the House of Assembly based on the Supreme Court judgement on the Plateau State governorship dispute.