The Plateau state government today in Jos dragged the House of Representatives to the Federal High Court challenging the constitutional right of the lower chamber to probe the recent political uprising Jos.
It also asked Speaker of the Houseto order the relevant committee to discontinue further probe on the crisis till the determination of the suit.
The state government had earlier dragged President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua to the Supreme Court for setting up a panel of enquiry to probe the uprising that followed last month’s council poll in the state and during which over 500 lives were lost.
The Plateau State Attorney-General and commissioner for Justice, Edward Pwajok who filed the suit said the constitution did not intend that both the National and state Houses of Assembly would be exercising the same powers.
Alerting the Speaker of the House, Honourable Dimeji Bankole via a letter dated January12, 2009, of the existence of the suit, the Plateau state governmentsaid with the matter now in court, the Speaker should order the House ad hoc committee investigating the crises to stay further action until the determination of the court.
The letter signed by the state Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Edward Pwajok, said the state government has been compelled to seek legal redress in court so that the matter can be given judicial interpretation.
It said both the National Assembly and the state House of Assembly were given their own powers in the constitution, while the National Assembly derives such powers from sections 4 (123 and 4) 88 and 89, that of the House of Assembly derives its own from sections 4 (7) 128 and 129 respectively.
The Plateau state government argued that the constitution did not intend that both the National and state Houses of Assembly would be exercising the same powers.
Meanwhile, the Plateau State chapter of the People’s Democratic Party, (PDP), has said that it will take legal action against the state government if it continue to refuse to swear in the 17 elected local government Chairmen and councilors that were elected during the disputed polls.
Speaking with newsmen in Jos, Chairman of the PDP, Prof. Dakum Shown said peace has returned to Jos and any further delay would imply a denial of the party’s mandate which he said was rightly won by the PDP as results have been declared by the State Independent Electoral Commission (SIEC).
He said those aggrieved with the outcome of the election should take their cases to the election petition tribunal set up by the state government.
Prof. Shown said, he is happy to note that in the whole of Plateau North senatorial zone, the tribunal has not received a single petition, adding that this could only mean that those that participated in the election have accepted the results.