Due to their defiance of court orders and lack of political organisation, all 16 members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the Plateau State House of Assembly have been dismissed by the Court of Appeal located in Abuja.
All Progressives Congress (APC) mainstay Professor John Wade said that the PDP should not be sympathised with since the party shot itself in the leg, while Mr. Musa Ashoms, the state commissioner of information and communications, called the recent ruling against the PDP a temporary setback.
Recall that the Appeal Court has previously dismissed two senators and four members of the House of Representatives who are PDP members prior to the most recent ruling.
A stunning turn of events occurred last week when the Speaker of the House of State Assembly, Honourable Moses Sule, his deputy, and other House principals resigned, making Honourable Dewan Gabriel of the YPP the new Speaker. In response, the newly appointed Speaker adjourned the House meeting indefinitely.
It was claimed that the House changed leadership before Friday’s ruling in order to delay the installation of the new lawmakers due to widespread rumours that they would look into the financial dealings of the Governor Muftwang-led administration over the previous five months and potentially impeach the governor before the Supreme Court rules.
It was also learned that the future speaker of the 24-member state Assembly was set to be a returning APC member from the southern region of the state, prior to the Friday Judgement.
In response to the suggestion that the members have been ordering the governor’s impeachment, the APC’s state press secretary, Mr. Slyvanus Namang, denied any such brief and stated that the PDP had coordinated the action in order to win over the state’s populace.
“We uphold the rule of law, due process, and lawfulness. The PDP created it in order to win over the public’s sympathy.
In that aspect, there is absolutely no plan,” he stated.
Regarding the newly elected Speaker, Namang stated that it was the state government’s intention to prevent the sworn in of the new House members, so creating a constitutional crisis inside the legislative branch of government.
He claimed that once the Speaker was sworn in on Tuesday, he promptly announced a two-month break until January 21st, 2024, in order to carry out the ill-motivated script.
“Speculations about Governor Mutfwang’s grand scheme to postpone the inauguration and swearing in of the new members returned by the Court of Appeal, which is scheduled to take place next week, have been put to rest by this onslaught and legislative impunity.”
In an interview with Sunday Tribune, Professor John Wade, the last APC administration’s Director of Research and Documentation, said that the PDP should not be pitied for shooting itself in the foot.
He blamed the PDP’s misfortune on the haughtiness of certain party elders who think they are the party’s ace in the state and, in the process, disregarded wise counsel from some senior statesmen.
“They disregarded wise counsel and shot themselves in the leg. Sadly, though, they misjudged people, their quiet, and even the current state of the law. Since the Electoral Act has changed since it was last amended five years ago, the PDP was not aware of all these developments. Additionally, since politics is an intrigue-based game, those who oppose you and desire power would sit back and observe you intently, taking note of everything—including your faults. In Kano, that is how things work out.
Based on our investigation, we know that in the end, the judgement we would receive would be too harsh for them to receive any justice, which is why we have been keeping an eye on them. They seemed to have shot themselves.
“And once more, the politicians who have achieved prominence, such as Beni Lar, are sadly carried away by the wind. You are unable to feel sympathy for them, since if they had the bravery, they would have informed the party head that it is improper to give the position of the party. Similar to Edward Picat, he stands vin today.But, Mr. Musa Ashoms, the state’s commissioner of information and communications, stated that it was shocking and depressing that certain people—particularly the APC—said the PDP lacked a structure in the state.
Ashoms expressed hope that the PDP will win at the Supreme Court and claimed that the current political climate in Plateau State was only a temporary setback for the party.
Therefore, it is depressing that obtrusive intruders are misleading the people and that they will now be speaking with venom and rage because they want to simply take our mandates at any cost. In actuality, the PDP is well-established on the Plateau, and Chris Hassan was elected to office by congressmen chaired by His Excellency from Osun State, the speaker stated.
