Plateau Assembly gets new speaker as Dewan steps down

The Plateau State House of Assembly has elected Hon. Nanloong Daniel as its new Speaker after the sudden resignation of Hon. Gabriel Dewan.

The development took place during an emergency plenary session held on Wednesday at the temporary Assembly Complex in the Old Government House, Jos.

Hon. Daniel, who represents the Mikang State Constituency and previously served as Majority Leader in the 9th Assembly, was unanimously elected by the 24-member legislature to take up the leadership role.

The leadership change followed a closed-door meeting between Governor Caleb Mutfwang, former Speaker Gabriel Dewan, and other lawmakers, aimed at addressing ongoing political tension in the state in the assembly over leadership crisis.

Deputy Speaker Hon. Gwotta Ajang presided over the emergency session and facilitated the transition.

Dewan, the sole legislator from the Young Progressives Party (YPP) in the Assembly, held from the Plateau Central, resigned amid efforts to stabilize the state’s political situation which many have been yearning for since the sacking of the PDP lawmakers from the house.