APC Condemns Plateau Speaker’s Refusal To Recognise 16 Of Its Members As Lawmakers

The All Progressive Congress (APC) has condemned the Speaker of the Plateau State House of Assembly, Gabriel Dewan, over his alleged refusal to recognise 16 of its members who were declared authentic representatives of their constituencies by the Court of Appeal.

The party, in a communique issued on Tuesday after its National Working Committee (NWC) meeting in Abuja, described the actions of the speaker as undemocratic and violently contemptuous.

The party noted that the Court of Appeal is the highest court for the determination of state assembly election petition matters.

It subsequently urged the Speaker to swear in the members without further delay in the interest of peace in the good State of Plateau.

The communique partly reads, “The National Working Committee of the party denounced the failure or refusal of the Speaker of the Plateau State House of Assembly to swear in 16 APC House Members adjudged by the Court of Appeal as the duly elected members of the Plateau State House of Assembly.

“The intransigence of the Speaker and the Governor of the state in this matter is wrong, undemocratic and violently contemptuous of the authority of the Court of Appeal, the highest court for the determination of election petition matters as it concerns the House of Assembly.

“The NWC urges the Speaker of the Plateau State House of Assembly to swear in the members without further delay in the interest of peace in the good State of Plateau,” the statement read.

Recall that the Court of Appeal sitting in Abuja had in November sacked all the 16 members of the state House of Assembly elected on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party on the ground that the party had no structure to nominate them as candidates.

The APC expects that following the appeal court decision which is final, its members who won at the court should recognised by the state assembly.