By Jide Orintunsin, Abuja
Allegation unfounded, says Plateau govt
The ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) has accused Plateau State Governor Caleb Mutfwang and House of Assembly Speaker Gabriel Dewan of unlawfully coercing the party’s lawmakers in the state into signing post-dated resignation letters as condition for their inauguration.
APC National Publicity Secretary, Felix Morka, leveled the accusation against the governor and the Speaker in a statement yesterday in Abuja.
The statement reads: “The attention of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has been drawn to disturbing and unlawful acts of the governor of Plateau State, His Excellency Caleb Mutfwang, and the Speaker of the Plateau State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Gabriel Dewan, in relation to APC members of the House of Assembly ordered by the Court of Appeal to be inaugurated as members of the Plateau State House of Assembly.
“The governor and the Speaker coerced and illegally procured APC lawmakers to sign post-dated resignation letters as a pre-condition for their inauguration as members of the Plateau State House of Assembly.”
It added: “Nine lawmakers that succumbed to the intimidation and coercion and signed the demanded post-dated resignation letters and verifying affidavits were inaugurated by the Speaker as members of the House of Assembly on April 5, 2024. Seven members-elect that refused to submit to this illegality were denied inauguration by the Speaker.”
APC described the governor’s and the Speaker’s action “as utterly outrageous, anti-democratic, illegal and a vile contempt of the binding judgment of the Court of Appeal that ordered the inauguration of all 16 APC members-elect as members of the House of Assembly”.
The party added: “We wonder why Governor Mutfwang and Speaker Dewan are unwilling and seemingly terrified to comply with a valid judgment of the Court of Appeal but would rather resort to illegal and underhand tactics to intimidate, blackmail, and cajole members to sign post-dated resignation letters in violation of the laws of our land.
“The continued refusal of the Speaker to inaugurate the remaining seven APC members who have stoutly refused to submit to this illegality has become a clear and present threat to the peace and stability of Plateau State.
“Constituents of yet-to-be-inaugurated members are becoming increasingly restive and may resort to peacefully protesting the unlawful refusal to inaugurate their elected representatives.
This is avoidable and must be avoided. The good people of Plateau State deserve to live in peace and security. Governor Mutfwang bears a solemn duty to govern fairly, maintaining peace and security, upholding the law, and doing justice to all, irrespective of political differences.
“We call on the Speaker to unconditionally swear in the remaining seven APC lawmakers without further delay in keeping with the judgment of the Court of Appeal.”
Also, Plateau State’s Information and Communication Commissioner Musa Ashom said the allegation was unfounded.
“We are in a democratic era, not a military era. Such an allegation cannot be true as far as the state government is concerned,” he said.
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