The Speaker of the Plateau State House of Assembly, Gabriel Dewan, has administered the oath of office to nine out of 16 All Progressives Congress (APC) lawmakers.
This took place in the early hours of Friday in Jos, the state capital.
The swearing-in ceremony saw the appointment of a member from Jos East as the Deputy Speaker.
This development follows a series of legal battles stemming from the nullification of the election of 16 members of the Plateau State House of Assembly by the Court of Appeal last year.
The affected members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) lost their seats to APC candidates.
However, while affirming Governor Caleb Mutfwang’s election, the Supreme Court later deemed the grounds for nullification misleading.
The Supreme Court frowned at the injustice faced by both state and federal lawmakers who were ousted without the opportunity to appeal (the Court of Appeal is the last resort for these candidates).
The Appeal Court’s ruling cited the PDP’s lack of electoral structure to justify the replacement of lawmakers with the runners-up, the 16 APC lawmakers.
Despite attempts by the ousted PDP lawmakers to reclaim their seats, they were barred from resuming legislative duties by security agencies.
Meanwhile, Speaker Gabriel Dawan refrained from swearing in the 16 lawmakers until the situation was resolved.
Before the court’s decision, the previous Assembly Speaker, who was a PDP member, resigned, paving the way for his successor, Devan, the lone YPP member, to assume the role with the support of PDP members.
However, Dewan suspended plenary indefinitely, citing ongoing renovations to the assembly complex.
