Anti-grazing law still in force, Benue Assembly re-echoes
The House of Representatives, yesterday, resolved to wade into the crisis rocking the Plateau State House Assembly.
The resolution followed a motion of urgent importance moved by former deputy speaker and lawmaker representing Wase Federal Constituency of Plateau State, Ahmed Wase, at plenary.
The Appeal Court had, in November 2023, sacked 16 members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and returned their All Progressives Congress (APC) contenders as winners of the 2023 State Assembly election, but were not able to resume duties, as they were not inaugurated.
But in April, the Speaker of the legislative chamber, Gabriel Dewan, swore in nine out of the 16 APC lawmakers.
Moving the motion on the floor of the Green Chamber, Wase observed that in 2023, the appellate court, hearing appeals arising from judgments of the Plateau State Election Tribunal, made decisions that resulted in the nullification of Certificates of Return (CoRs) of 16 sitting members of the Plateau House and ordered the issuance of new CoRs to the new members by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
He recalled that according to the provisions of Section 72 (1) of the Electoral Act, 2022, the electoral umpire issued CoRs to the new members in compliance with an order of the Appeal Court and the law.
He maintained that despite the members-elect of the Plateau State House of Assembly having met all requirements of the law, the Speaker had allegedly impressed it on the legislators to submit letters of resignation accompanied by affidavits as a condition for their inauguration.
This claim, according to him, undermines the principles of democracy, especially at a time when Nigeria is celebrating 25 years of unbroken democratic governance.
Wase added: “Concerned that the current situation, where some of the new members were selected and sworn in by the Speaker of the Plateau State House of Assembly while others have not been sworn in, contradicts the principles of fairness and justice that our electoral laws seek to uphold .
“Disturbed that the failure to address the delays or biases in the swearing-in of these new members-elect is a total denial of the voices of other constituencies in Plateau State, and undermines our commitment to justice, fairness, and the principles of democracy and posed a threat to security in the state.
The motion was adopted and the House resolved to ensure that equity, fairness and justice were served in the matter.
Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas, urged unity among Plateau people, promising to resolve the crisis.
The plea came amid insistence by the yet-to-be-inaugurated seven members-elect not to sign certain documents containing strong and stringent conditions before they could be sworn in.
They stood their ground that they were not going to sign any incriminating document, as they had not consulted their constituents.
Represented by David Lalu at a thanksgiving, organised for the member representing Jos North/Bassa Federal Constituency, Daniel Asama of the Labour Party (LP), Abbas called for oneness of purpose and unity among members of the House of Representatives, charging people of the state to always pray for their leaders because they are fallible humans.
In his remarks, Governor Caleb Mutfwang charged Plateau people to stop the habit of casting blame and aspersions on political officeholders disrespectfully.
MEANWHILE, the Benue House of Assembly has reiterated that the state’s anti-Open grazing and Ranches Establishment Law is still very much in force.
This pronouncement was re-echoed at a press conference organised to mark the 10th Assembly by the House Committee Chairman on Communication, Elias Audu, in Makurdi,  yesterday.
This is coming on the heels of a bill proposed by the Senator representing Benue North-West, Dr Titus Zam, seeking to ban open grazing and nomadic cattle rearing.
