Plateau speaker swears in nine out of 16 APC lawmakers cleared by court

Gabriel Dewan, speaker of the Plateau state house of assembly, has inaugurated nine lawmakers of the All Progressives Congress (APC) out of the 16 affirmed duly elected by the court of appeal.

The 16 lawmakers were declared duly elected after they filed an appeal against the ruling of the state’s election tribunal.

The court of appeal had sacked 16 lawmakers of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) who were initially declared winners of the polls by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

However, the speaker did not administer the oath of office to the 16 APC lawmakers due to a suit reportedly filed by the PDP legislators sacked by the court.

Dewan had said the court ordered that no action should be taken until the determination of the suit.

However, nine of the APC lawmakers were sworn in at the old government house, the venue of the temporary plenary.

Daily Trust quoted sources saying the nine inaugurated lawmakers had already agreed to resign after taking the oath of office.

The newspaper said the other seven lawmakers did not agree to the conditions.