From Jude Owuamanam, Jos
Concerned All Progressives Party (APC) youth leaders in Plateau State have described the non-inauguration of the remaining six lawmakers whose elections were validated by the Court of Appeal as a time bomb and ill-wind that will not blow anybody any good.
They described APC in Plateau as a political orphan despite their contribution to the electoral victory of, and support for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and his administration.
The appellate court had sacked 16 members of the party elected under the Peoples Democratic Party and declared 16 APC lawmakers as validity elected.
However since then, while the rest have been sworn in, six have yet to due to their alleged refusal to sign an undated resignation letter and an undertaking not to be part of any move to remove the State Governor, Caleb Mutfwang, from office since APC would be the majority party in the 24-member House of Assembly.
Addressing newsmen in Jos on Friday, Co-ordinator of the lawmakers, Hon Gwalson Mutshak, described as absurd, “The situation where the governor, in concert with the Speaker, who incidentally is from a minority party, made it mandatory that for the 16 APC members to be sworn in, they must first of all, write an undated letter of resignation with an affidavit stating that the decision to do was voluntary.”
The group expressed disappointment that, “For the first time in the political history of this country, a sitting governor could call the bluff an important institution like the judiciary without sanctions from any quarters. It is only in Plateau State that the governor openly disrespected the electoral process and the constitution by refusing to accept the verdict of the election petition tribunal.”
They were dismayed that “Instead, the governor formulated his own conditions of executing the decision of the Election Petition Tribunal.”