By Paul Effiong, Abuja
The House of Representatives has pledged it readiness to wade into the ongoing political crisis rocking the Plateau State House of Assembly.
This followed a motion of urgent national importance moved during plenary yesterday by the former deputy speaker and a lawmaker representing
Wase Federal Constituency of Plateau State, Ahmed Wase.
It would be recalled that on April 2024, the Speaker, Plateau state House of Assembly, Gabriel Dewan, sworn in nine out of the 16 members of the All Progressives Congress, APC, who were declared winners by the Appeal Court.
In his lead motion, Wase recalled that in 2023, the Court of Appeal hearing appeals arising from judgements of the Plateau State Election Tribunal, made decisions which resulted in the nullification of Certificates of Return of 16 sitting members of the Plateau State House of Assembly while it ordered the issuance of new Certificates of Return to the new Members by the Independent National Electoral Commission
The lawmaker further recalled that pursuant to the Provisions of Section 72 (1) of the Electoral Act, 2022, the Independent National Electoral Commission issued Certificates of Return to the new Members in compliance with the order of the Appeal Court and the Law
He argued that Section 94 (1) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 provides the procedure for the swearing in of newly elected Members of a State House of Assembly.
“Concerned that the current situation, where some of the new Members were selected and sworn-in by the Speaker of the Plateau State House of Assembly while others have not been sworn-in, contradicts the principles of fairness and justice that our electoral laws seek to uphold
Consequently, the motion was generally adopted and the house resolved to ensure that equity, fairness and justice were served on the matter inorder to restore conducive political atmosphere to the tourism state..
