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By Chinelo Obogo
A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and member of the Asiwaju Tinubu/Shetima Professional Forum, Bitrus Shaina, has accused Governor of Plateau State, Caleb Mutfwang, of trying to frustrate the state chapter of the party.
Shaina said the judgment of the Appeal Court sitting in Abuja had nullified the elections of all the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) lawmakers in Plateau on the grounds that the party on which platform they ran for elections lacked the structure to sponsor candidates in the elections. He also said that prior to that, the same Court had given judgment on National Assembly elections and had equally sacked all the federal legislators elected on the platform of the PDP and ordered that certificates of return be withdrawn from them and issued to the first runners up in the elections with the APC and Labour Party candidates as beneficiaries.
He said, however, while the National Assembly has complied with the court’s directives and the APC, LP and ADP candidates, have since been inaugurated at both chambers, the state legislators are yet to assume office and accused Governor Mutfwang, of frustrating all moves to inaugurate the house.
Shaina said the legislative arm of government is crucial to maintaining checks and balance as well as make laws for the good governance of the state and alleged that the governor influenced the postponement of resumption of the State Assembly.
He said: “The sacked PDP lawmakers have taken advantage of the lacuna to demand that they be returned to their seats against the order of the court, hinging their argument on the Supreme Court judgment affirming the election of Governor Mutfwang. Though the sacked PDP members used the delay to explore the legal angle, their case suffered a huge setback, as the application was dismissed for lacking in merit. The court in its wisdom dismissed the case in totality for waste of judicial time.
“In November 2023, the speaker announced a two-month recess and promised not to swear-in the incoming new members until January, but more than a month after that, he had still failed to reconvene the House. It is believed that he is doing so on the orders of the governor. The Constitution stipulates that any House that does not seat for 181 days will be shut down and any member who does not seat for 60 days would have his seat automatically vacated.”
