Ex-dep speaker wants N/Assembly intervention in Plateau legislative stalemate

The immediate past deputy speaker of the House of Representatives, Ahmed Idris Wase, has urged the leadership of the National Assembly to intervene and ensure the swearing in of remaining members-elect of the Plateau State House of Assembly for the purpose of equity, fairness, and justice. Wase, who represents the Wase federal constituency of Plateau […]

The immediate past deputy speaker of the House of Representatives, Ahmed Idris Wase, has urged the leadership of the National Assembly to intervene and ensure the swearing in of remaining members-elect of the Plateau State House of Assembly for the purpose of equity, fairness, and justice.

Wase, who represents the Wase federal constituency of Plateau State in the Green Chamber, made the call in a motion of urgent public importance he presented at the plenary on Tuesday.

Presenting the motion, he recalled that the Court of Appeal’s decisions on the Plateau elections had resulted in the nullification of the Certificates of Return of 16 sitting members of the Plateau State House of Assembly and ordered the issuance of new Certificates of Return to the new members by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

Wase reiterated the allegation of the seven members-elect that they are being compelled by the speaker of the state assembly to submit undated letters of resignation accompanied by court affidavits as a condition for their swearing-in.

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The lawmaker said, “This act undermines the principles of democracy, especially at a time when Nigeria is celebrating 25 years of uninterrupted democratic governance.

“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.”

After the presentation, the house adopted the motion and ruled that the leadership would look into the matter and act accordingly.

Similarly, the Plateau State candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in the 2023 governorship elections, Professor Patrick Dakum, has called on the Speaker, Plateau State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Gabriel Dewan, to swear in the remaining seven members-elect as state legislators.

He also called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to immediately appoint a minister from Plateau State to replace Senator Simon Lalong, who resigned his ministerial appointment for the Senate after being declared the winner by the Court of Appeal.