With the weight of the High Court's declaration behind him, Nizar arrived at the Perak Darul Ridzuan building with the Pakatan Rakyat (PR) executive council (exco) members at 7.30am to resume their duties in the state government.
After leading supporters in prayer, Nizar and his exco members entered the building amidst heavy presence of light strike force police officers and Federal Reserve Unit (FRU) trucks stationed outside the State Secretariat building.
Some 15 minutes later, Nizar and his wife left the building in Nizar's official menteri besar car — the black Toyota Camry bearing the number plate AGS10 — heading to the royal town of Kuala Kangsar for an investiture ceremony in Nizar's first official function upon his short return as Perak menteri besar.
At the palace, Nizar submitted a letter requesting for an audience with Perak ruler Sultan Azlan Shah in another attempt at obtaining royal consent for the dissolution of the 'deadlocked" Perak State Legislative Assembly.
Nizar, who is Pasir Panjang assembly, later told reporters that during the ceremony, he and Perak regent Raja Dr Nazrin Shah did not talk about the state's political impasse and the new developments.
'We (Nizar and Raja Nazrin) talked about the general life and weather," Nizar said, adding that he had yet to receive an official response from the palace on the audience being sought.
At a separate press conference, Perak DAP chief and senior exco member Datuk Ngeh Koo Ham said Nizar had ordered the PR exco members to immediately resume work 'to redeem the three months wasted" due to the political turmoil in the state administration.
A stark contrast from his usual calm and cheerful demeanour, a visibly worried Nizar rushed into the menteri besar's office shortly after mid-day prayers at 1.37pm, to respond to the Court of Appeal's decision in granting Barisan Nasional's (BN) Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abdul Kadir's request for a stay of execution of the High Court's earlier decision.
After convening a short meeting, Nizar and several PR exco members then vacated the State Secretariat building out of respect for the Court of Appeal's ruling.
'We did not want to wait to be served notice to vacate," Nizar said.
Speaking to reporters later at the DAP headquarters, Nizar reiterated that the political impasse in Perak could only be solved by returning the vote to the people rather than having the courts determine the legitimate menteri besar of the state.
Nizar also quipped that repeated questions from reporters as to who was the valid Perak menteri besar were the best indication that the court had 'created more questions and more problems".
Asked if Perak currently had a menteri besar amidst the fast-paced developments in the ongoing crisis, Nizar maintained that the post had never been vacated since he took oath after the general election in March last year.
'If they (BN) claim to have the majority confidence, I can also claim to have the majority. (If that is so) then test it on the floor of the assembly," Nizar said.
Nizar, when pressed on whether he and PR were ready to face a vote of no-confidence in the assembly, then said the question of majority did not arise as the High Court had declared him the valid menteri besar 'at all material times".
Given the latest developments, Zambry said he would return to office tomorrow to resume duties as menteri besar.
Meanwhile, Ngeh, who is Sitiawan assemblyman, anticipated the Perak political imbroglio to continue for at least half a year when the matter made its way to the apex court on appeal.