Speaker of Plateau State House of Assembly, Gabriel Dewan of the Young People’s Party (YPP), as well as security operatives, yesterday, denied the 16 sacked Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) lawmakers entry into the legislative complex in Jos.Only eight legislators recognised by the Appeal Court drove in convoy with Dewan into the premises located at the Old Government House within the capital for resumption of legislative business after weeks of recess.
The 16 affected lawmakers also drove in convoy, but they were stopped at the gate by security operatives, who teargassed them in the process.
Speaking to journalists after, Dewan insisted that the sacked parliamentarians cannot resume sitting in defiance to law .
His words: “As you will recall, on November 22, 2023, the Plateau State House of Assembly went into recess and adjourned to resume on January 23, 2024. And today as you can see, we are back to resume our legislative duties officially. I pray God almighty will take control within the new year, and we are ready to give the government of President Bola Tinubu and the Executive Governor of Plateau State all the needed legislative support.”
The 16 legislators were unseated by the appellate court over lack of structure by their political party at the time of the 2023 general elections.
The court ruled that they were not properly nominated for the March 18 legislative poll, hence their elections were voided.
But on the same ground, 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 judgment on the Plateau governorship tussle.
Meanwhile, the All Progressives Congress (APC) described their attempt to resume plenary yesterday as an invitation to anarchy in the state.
A statement by Party State Publicity Secretary, Sylvanus Namang, said the PDP members sat at an undisclosed location and addressed the press on their “invidious and diabolical plan.”
He added: “According to information at our disposal, the sacked members would be accompanied by members of their various constituencies to cause confusion of an unimaginable proportional