The Plateau State House of Assembly through it House committee Chairman on Information and Member Representing Mangu South State Constituency, Hon. Mathew Kwarpo Sylvanus who is also a member of the All Progressive Congress APC debunked in it totally the rumor making around that the State House of Assembly has rejected executive bill to amend Plateau State Independent Electoral Commission (PLASIEC) Law sent to it by Governor Caleb Manasseh Mutfwang of Plateau State.
Hon Kwarpo made this known in a telephone interview he personally granted to News Parrot Newspaper/Online stated that yesterday 27th August 2024 the house had a very constructive plenary, and the season was so in compassing. And 95 percent of the members were present at the seating.
Furthermore, Hon. Kwarpo stated that at the seating the members of the 10th Assembly under the leadership of Rt. Hon. Gabriel K. Dewan passed into law one Executive Bill into law, which is the PLASIEC Law.
He said the 2018 PLASIEC law was repeal yesterday by the current members of the 10th Assembly, reason being that there was need for the Plasiec law to be consonant with the 2022 national electoral act.
He said, looking at the emerging issues of the 21st century as it affect electioneering on the Plateau.
The spokesman of the State House of Assembly also revealed that everybody on the Plateau is very much aware that the state Local Government election is slated to be conducted October 9 2024.
He further disclosed that it is not true that house rejected any Executive Bill.
Hon. Kwarpo in his disclosure also revealed that the Executive Bill sent to the house by the Executive Governor Caleb Manasseh Mutfwang was timely, and the bill was giving a maximum attention that it is required by the members of the 10th assembly.
Furthermore, the Honourable member gave more clarity on the 35 clauses that was sort to be amended for good and betterment of the people of Plateau State.
The member also assured the people of the State that in that bill was the total reflection of a development stride of the current Government in Plateau State under the governance of His Excellency Barr. Caleb Manasseh Mutfwang.
Putting more on the clause, Hon. Kwarpo stated that number 24 clause 67 which in the redraft the announcement of election results in the PLASIEC Law 2018 the declaration of result in clause 59
stated that candidate who received the highest vote shall be declared the winner by the appropriate returning officer.
And so the 10th assembly in line with the 2022 electoral act, through the executive bill sent by the Executive Governor felt that it was too ambiguous, and it means that on the day of an election anybody can come up and claim that he or she is an appropriate returning officer.
So what the 10th assembly has done to this particular aspect of the PLASIEC Law is to redraft it to that one, results of all election shall be announce by the presiding officer at the polling unit, that’s number one A, number one B is that ward collection officer at the ward collection centre, C Local Government collection officer at the Local Government centres.
And in number 2, the same clause 67 in page 24 of the 2024 PLASIEC repeal law it further clarify not as the one PLASIEC use to have that the returning officer shall announce the results and declare winner as A, ward returning officer in the
case of Councillorship election, B Local Government collection centre in the case of Chairmanship and Deputy Chairmanship election.
He stated that it is very disgusting and so uncalled for, for some people to come up with the news that the house rejected the Governor’s bill in the name of political party.
He said, they have always informed the people of Plateau State that they are not in the house for political party but to give good governance to the people of the State.
He also disclosed that it has never being in the history of Plateau State to have the Governor from a different political party, the Speaker from another different political party, the minority Leader from another different political party and the majority of the members from another different political party until this time.
The imagemaker of house also revealed that the 10th assembly members will not hesitated to correct the whenever he erred in discharging his duty to the people of Plateau State.
He also revealed that in one of the classes in old Plasiec Law stipulated that the tenure of the elected local government officials will be three years, but the 10th assembly through the bill that was brought to them by the Executive Governor agreed that the tenure of the local government elected officials should be two years.
So that it will go inline with repeal PLASIEC Law.
