The Speaker of the Plateau House of Assembly, Gabriel Dewan, has defied the court of appeal’s order to inaugurate 16 lawmakers who won their elections on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
The court had nullified the victories of the 16 lawmakers from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) who were initially declared winners.
Dewan claimed that he had a court injunction that barred him from recognising the APC lawmakers as members of the assembly.
He also said that he would not recognise the 16 PDP lawmakers who were sacked by the tribunal and the court of appeal, and who tried to resume plenary on Tuesday.
He said that he would only admit eight members of the assembly, while the other 24 lawmakers with certificates of return from the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) would be excluded for now.
He made this statement on Tuesday in Jos, after a police tear gas canister accidentally exploded at the temporary venue of the assembly, causing a mild commotion.
The tear gas was meant to prevent the supporters of the sacked PDP lawmakers from entering the premises.
The PDP lawmakers had attempted to resume plenary following the Supreme Court’s remark that the court of appeal was wrong to sack them.
The assembly complex has been taken over by security operatives, and the state governor, Caleb Muftwag, has imposed a 24-hour curfew on the state to quell the crisis.
