A new development has emerged in the ongoing crisis surrounding the Plateau State House of Assembly, as thirteen candidates of the Labour Party (LP) from the 2023 state assembly election are now petitioning the court to compel the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to conduct fresh elections in the state.
In a statement released yesterday in Jos, Hon. Henry Yunkwap, a spokesman for the 13 LP candidates and a former state lawmaker from Shendam Constituency, explained that their demand stems from the exclusion of the LP logo on the ballot papers during the 2023 state assembly elections. According to Yunkwap, a Federal High Court in Abuja has already invalidated the election due to this exclusion.
Yunkwap highlighted that the delay in the swearing-in of the 16 All Progressives Congress (APC) lawmakers is closely linked to the legal actions being pursued by them.
This move comes in response to earlier claims by Timothy Golu, the Special Adviser to the Plateau State governor on Strategic Communication, who stated on March 19 that two injunctions, including one from LP candidates, were served on the speaker days before the scheduled swearing-in of new house members.
However, Grace Zanfara, the chairman of the LP in the state, refuted the assertion that a court injunction from a suit filed by candidates of the state house of assembly was causing delays in the swearing-in of new APC members.
Despite intense pressure and legal threats from the APC, fifteen members of the APC and one LP member declared winners of various state constituencies have not yet been sworn in.
Yunkwap emphasized, “The court of competent jurisdiction granted an order that no election should be conducted in the 13 Plateau State House of Assembly constituencies without the names of the LP candidates, and anything short of that renders the election null and void.”
He further stated, “We are now in court seeking the enforcement of the original court orders by asking INEC for fresh elections in those 13 state constituencies.”
Yunkwap confirmed that his lawyers have successfully served the speaker of the house the court injunction, suggesting that this action is likely the reason why the 16 APC lawmakers have not been sworn in yet.
