Plateau House Of Assembly Elects New Speaker

Hon. Na’anlong Daniel has been elected as the new speaker of the Plateau State House of Assembly following the resignation of Hon. Gabriel Dewan.

The election was held on Wednesday during an emergency at the temporary Assembly Complex at the Old Government House, Jos.

Daniel, a member representing Mikang state constituency and a former majority leader in the 9th Assembly, was unanimously chosen by his colleagues to lead the 24-member assembly.
The change in leadership follows a closed-door meeting involving Governor Caleb Mutfwang, the former speaker, Gabriel Dewan, and other lawmakers.

Meanwhile, the meeting was convened as part of efforts to address ongoing political tensions within the state.

The emergency session was presided over by the deputy speaker, Hon. Gwotta Ajang, who facilitated the transition process.

Dewan, a Young Progressives Party (YPP) member, was the only legislator from his party in the Assembly.

His resignation is seen as part of a broader effort to stabilise the political climate in Plateau State.

It will be recalled that a cross-section of the state’s people are uncomfortable with the arrangement in which the governor, Barr. Caleb Mutfwang and the Speaker Dewan came from the senatorial zone of Plateau Central.

They heaved a sigh of relief when Daniel Naanlong was elected as the new speaker from the Southern zone to balance the equation.