–Says Supreme Court Verdict Raises Questions About Their A’Court Victories
Speaker, Plateau House of Assembly, Rt Hon Gabriel Dewan, on Saturday, has explained that Friday Supreme Court Judgment affirming Governor Caleb Mutfwang as duly elected governor has by implication raised posers about the legitimacy of recognizing the legitimacy of 16 opposition lawmakers who upturned mandates of elected lawmakers at the Appeal Courts
State Assembly election petitions terminates at the Appeal courts by law.
But with the judgment on Friday affirming the state governor, Plateau Assembly speaker is insisting that the decision opens grounds for challenging the verdict which removed lawmakers have taken advantage of.
Rt.Hon Dewan said this in Jos on Saturday while interacting with newsmen.
According to him, with the judgment of the supreme court, the highest court of the land that over turned the earlier position of the lower court ( Appeal court) against Governor Mutfwang on Friday, the PDP Lawmakers whose seats were voided by the Court of Appeal have gone back to court for interpretation of apex court judgment.
According him, “as it stands now only eight Lawmakers are recognized as members of Plateau House of Assembly”.
He said as a speaker, he is a leader of all, irrespective of political party, promising that he will carry everybody along in his leadership despite coming from the opposition party and a minority party the Young Peoples’ Party (YPP).
According to him, the sixteen lawmakers who the Appeal Court pronounced winners of their Constituency’s seats would not be recognized yet by the House pending the interpretation of the supreme court judgment which ruled that the actions and judgment of the appeal court was faulty and an abuse of court processes.