Refusal to swear in 16 APC lawmakers robbing Plateau of quality legislation — Aluko

A human rights activist, Comrade Steve Aluko, has stated that the logjam over the non-swearing-in of the 16 All Progressive Congress (APC) members affirmed by the Court of Appeal as members of the Plateau State House of Assembly is robbing the state of quality legislation.

Speaking in an interview with Tribune Online, the human rights activist said the unfortunate situation is gradually taking its toll on the governance of Plateau, adding that there are many things that the executive cannot do without a functional assembly.

According to him, the better those at the center of the imbriglio realized this and sheath their swords for the -interest of the state, adding that the time of politics has passed and what the citizens are expecting is the dividends of democracy, this cannot be realized without a functional Assembly. 

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“The logjam is not in the interest of democracy, and it is not for the betterment of Plateau State because under the presidential system of government, every arm of government has legitimate function, and when it comes to representing the people, the legislative arms stand stronger. When this is not in place or properly functioning, the quality of lobbying and others will be reduced, and who suffers it, it is the people of Plateau State. 

“So what can be done at this moment is for everybody to shield their swords, go to the negotiation table, and resolve the matter in the best interest of Plateau State. The alternative dispute resolution can be adopted or used as a tool to resolve it. On both sides, they must align with the interests of the Plateau. 

“The Executive needs the legislative arms to do oversight functions, and in the absence of this, it will affect the quality of governance.

“For effective lawmaking, you cannot take 16 out of the state assembly and say the house of assembly is functioning well.  

“They should look for ways of resolving the issue at stake in the shortest possible time so that the state can have good governance. They should not put much emphasis on legalism. If both of them love Plateau, they should resolve the problem and move forward.” 

He therefore called on the Speaker of the House, Hon. Gabriel Dewan, to swear in the 16 APC-elected lawmakers, adding that if the Court of Appeal later says otherwise, they would leave.