Hon. Gabriel Dewan, the Speaker of the Plateau House of Assembly, has administered the oath of office to nine out of the 16 members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) who were declared winners by the Court of Appeal.
These newly sworn-in lawmakers emerged victorious after the Court of Appeal invalidated the election of the 16 members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), citing the party’s lack of qualification to sponsor candidates in the election.
Initially, the Speaker had refrained from swearing in the affected members, citing a court directive pending the resolution of a lawsuit filed by the ousted PDP lawmakers contesting the Appeal Court’s decision.
The oath-taking ceremony for the nine members took place at the Old Government House, which currently serves as the venue for the House’s legislative activities. However, the reasons for the remaining seven members not being sworn in were not disclosed by the House.
According to sources, the seven members were purportedly asked to resign before their inauguration, but they refused. It is alleged that the nine members were sworn in under the condition that they would resign if they failed to comply with certain terms. It’s understood that their resignation would be enforced if they acted contrary to the conditions stipulated, leading to their removal from office.