The Plateau State House of Assembly (PLSHA) witnessed yet another significant turn of events as Honorable Mark Sunday Naah, representing Jos North West, was sworn in during the assembly’s plenary session.
This addition brings the total number of lawmakers to eighteen, marking a crucial point in the ongoing political reshuffling within the state’s legislative body.
This development is a continuation of the political tensions that began in April when Speaker Gabriel Dewan inaugurated nine lawmakers from the All Progressives Congress (APC). These nine were part of a group of sixteen APC candidates who had successfully overturned the earlier rulings of the state’s election tribunal in the Court of Appeal.
The tribunal had initially declared sixteen legislators from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as winners of the state assembly elections, but the appeal court’s decision shifted the balance in favor of the APC.
However, the full swearing-in of all sixteen APC lawmakers was stalled due to a legal challenge reportedly filed by the ousted PDP legislators. The court, responding to the suit, instructed that no further action should be taken until the legal dispute was resolved. This led to a situation where Speaker Dewan only administered the oath of office to nine of the sixteen APC lawmakers. The swearing-in ceremony took place in the old government house, the site of a temporary plenary session.
Notably, the nine sworn-in lawmakers were said to have agreed to resign after taking their oaths, a condition that was not accepted by the remaining seven APC legislators. This condition has fueled speculation about internal party dynamics and the strategies being employed in the assembly’s ongoing power struggle.
The swearing-in of Honorable Mark Sunday Naah today underscores the fluid and contentious nature of the political landscape in Plateau State. As the legal battles continue, the situation within the state assembly remains in flux, with the potential for further shifts in power and representation depending on the outcome of ongoing court cases.
This latest development signals not only the deep divisions within the assembly but also the precarious nature of political authority in the state.
