Plateau Speaker says he won’t recognise APC lawmakers after Supreme Court ruling

The Plateau State House of Assembly is facing uncertainty as Speaker Gabriel Dewan, who belongs to the Young Peoples Party (YPP), has stated that he would only recognise eight members out of the total 24.

This comes after the recent Supreme Court judgment overruled the Court of Appeal’s decision that led to the sack of 16 members elected under the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

The Appeal Court had initially removed the 16 lawmakers, citing that the PDP lacked the legitimacy to sponsor them due to internal issues within the party.

Following this decision, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) issued certificates of return to APC members.

However, the recent Supreme Court judgment, which allowed the appeal filed by Governor Caleb Mutfwang against his sack, stated that the removal of the 16 PDP members was unjustified.

The apex Court emphasised that the APC and its candidate had no authority to interfere in the internal affairs of another political party.

Reacting to the Supreme Court ruling, Speaker Dewan declared that, based on the judgment, only eight members are recognised in the assembly.

Dewan stated that the 16 lawmakers affirmed by the Court of Appeal would not be recognised for now, as the apex Court had declared the Appeal Court’s judgment faulty and an abuse of court processes.

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The affected PDP lawmakers have appealed to the Supreme Court for a determination, seeking to overturn the judgment of both the Appeal Court and the National Assembly members.