According to our correspondent, the sacked lawmakers claimed they were using the Supreme Court’s decision, which reversed the lower court’s ruling and restored Governor Caleb Mutfwang as the state’s legitimately elected leader, as pressure.
In an interview with reporters on Monday in Jos, PDP members cautioned their All Progressives Congress (APC) not to approach the House of Assembly since the Supreme Court had declared the ruling of the Court of Appeal, which had dismissed them, to be void.
Ishaku Maren, the 16 members’ spokesperson, stated that the Supreme Court had upheld their ejection, which the Appellate court had wrongfully denied them.
Maren, who was flanked by other 15 members, said that as law abiding citizens, they are ready to resume work to represent the people that duly elected them.
He said, “As you can see the 16 PDP members, the Plateau State House of Assembly, all here to address the press regarding our resumption to duty tomorrow because our recess will be ending today ( Monday ), and by tomorrow,( Tuesday)we are resuming walking in earnest and we are confident to address the press by informing the general public that my members that is PDP family members in the State Assembly are in high spirits and are willing and ready to go back and continue with our constitutional duty willingly given to us by the electorates. So we are all ready for the resumption of work tomorrow.
They added that “You might be aware that while were on recess, there were two Judgments that were passed regarding the status of state House of Assembly and Plateau State as a whole.”
The first one was that given by the Court of Appeal, where they said that one cannot put something on nothing; that PDP in Plateau state has no structure and it was on that premise to that they sacked all the 16 PDP members and low and behold as we were on recess a superior court gave its own verdict regarding the same issue and in the judgment of the Supreme Court they said that the judgment that was brought before the Court of Appeal in its entirety was fraudulent and because of that the Court of Appeal lacked even the jurisdiction to entertain the entire matter.
“By that it shows that we are also referring to the same judgment that one cannot build something on nothing.”
They advised the governor not to interfere because they’re going to resist all pressure.
“The Court of Appeal members are deceiving themselves that they are coming to the house tomorrow to resume work but I’m confident to tell you that we are a product of democracy.
“We are validly elected by the majority of votes that were cast in our various respective constituencies and our constituents are willing and ready to accompany us citizens tomorrow because they voted for us and they are not ready to compromise that and that is why they are seeing us to the state Assembly tomorrow.”
