Reps To Wade Into Plateau Assembly Crisis

The House of Representatives has agreed to intervene in the crisis rocking the Plateau State House of Assembly over the failure to swear in remaining members-elect as directed by the Appeal Court judgement.

This was in addition to adopting a motion of urgent public importance moved by Hon. Ahmed Idris Wase (APC, Plateau) at the plenary on Tuesday.

Moving the motion, Wase noted that in 2023, the Court of Appeal nullified Certificates of Return for 16 sitting Plateau State House of Assembly members and ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to issue new Certificates of Return to new members.

He said that under Provisions Section 72 (1) of the Electoral Act 2022, INEC issued Certificates of Return to the new members in compliance with the order of the Appeal Court and the law.

Wase said the members-elect of the Plateau State House of Assembly have met all the requirements of the law, as contained in section 94 (1) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 and section 72 (1) of the Electoral Act, 2022.

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He expressed concern that the remaining members-elect of the Plateau State House of Assembly are compelled to submit letters of resignation with accompanying court affidavits by the speaker as a condition for swearing-in. This amounts to a mockery of democracy at a time when Nigeria is celebrating 25 years of unbroken democracy.

The former deputy speaker of the House lamented 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, contradicting the principles of fairness and justice that our electoral laws seek to uphold.”

Wase expressed worry that; “failure to address the delays or biases in the swearing-in of these new members elect is a total denial of the voices of other constituencies in Plateau State and undermines our commitment to justice, fairness, and the principles of democracy and poised a threat to security in the State.”

Adopting the motion, the House assured it would investigate the development’s circumstances and review it for equity, fairness, and justice.