Sacked PDP lawmakers vow to resume amid tension in Plateau

State House of Assembly lawmakers on the Platform of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, vowed to resume their legislative duties on Tuesday, thereby stoking tension in Plateau.

The 16 lawmakers were sacked by the Court of Appeal in a controversial judgment.

Reacting, the All Progressives Congress in Plateau insisted that they have been sacked and any attempt to forcefully resume legislative duties will amount to invitation to ‘invitation to anarchy and a threat to democracy.

CAPITAL POST recalled that the Court of Appeal sacked 16 Plateau State House of Assembly members on the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP platform on grounds that they were not properly nominated by their party before contesting election.

Speaking at a press conference on Monday, in Jos, leader of the embattled 16 lawmakers and a former Majority Leader, Yobo Ishaku, said, their sack has been rendered nugatory, since the Supreme Court ruled in favour of governor Caleb Muftwang who has similar situation with them.

According to Ishaku, the 16 lawmakers have ended their recess on Monday, hence, they are alerting the general public of their readiness to resume legislative duties on Tuesday.

Explaining the rationale behind their decision to resume plenary, Ishaku said, “While we were on recess, there were two judgments passed regarding the Plateau State House of Assembly. The first one was the one given by the Court of Appeal, of which the Justices said one could not put something on nothing; PDP on the Plateau had no structure and it was on that basis and premise that they sacked all the 16 PDP House of Assembly members.

“And while we were still on recess, the Supreme Court gave its verdict regarding the same issue and in the judgment, the Supreme Court said the case that was brought before the Court of Appeal was fraudulent and that the court even lacked the jurisdiction to entertain the matter in the first place. And by that, it shows that referring to their submission, you cannot build something on nothing. By implication, the verdict of the Court of Appeal is a nullity and we are disregarding that judgment in its entirety.”