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…As suspended legislators petition NASS
From Romanus Ugwu, Abuja
Members of the suspended Zamfara State House of Assembly have petitioned and requested the House of Representatives to intervene urgently and facilitate their reinstatement.
The administrative crisis between the state lawmakers and the state government took worrisome dimension when the lawmakers declared as illegal, null and void, most of the decisions taken in the state, especially the passage of the 2025 Appropriation Bill and amendment of state laws.
Addressing newsmen in Abuja after appearing before the National Assembly, the 10 suspended state assembly members, argued that with their suspension, the 24-member Assembly can no longer form a two-third majority to take any decision concerning the administration of the state.
Reading a prepared text, titled the Unfortunate State of Sffairs at the Zamfara State House of Assembly, one of the suspended members, Nasiru Abdullahi Maru, lamented that the legislative arm in the state is heading to the rocks due to executive interference and poor leadership.
“We sent a petition to the National Assembly, they called us and asked us that we should go back, they will invite us for further investigation but up to this moment, we did not hear from them. We are still waiting for their response,” the group noted.
Explaining what transpired, the lawmakers said: “You may recall that just last week Tuesday, January 28, 2025, that the seat of a member of the Zamfara State House of Assembly, Aliyu Ango Kagara, the Minority Leader, representing Talata-Mafara South State Constituency in the Assembly was declared vacant with a fiat by a handful of members who acted in an irresponsible manner.
“Owing to this advantage, the Assembly is more or less now under the control of the Executive and virtually taking orders from there and lording same over the members whereby the minority’s voice is barely heard.
“We are fully behind the statement issued by Kagara and wish to add that the eight of us here, have been under undue and illegal suspension by the Assembly just because we have all along refused to dance to their tune and serve as rubber stamp for the Executive.
“If you therefore remove 10 of us, including or excluding Kagara, the 24-member Assembly can no longer boast of a two-third majority.
“Therefore, most of the decisions taken under the circumstances by the present number of legislators, including passage of the 2025 Appropriation Bill and State Laws Amendments, stand illegal, null and void.
“This also covers the declaration of Kagara’s seat vacant which the Assembly does not even have the Constitutional power over,” they argued.
In their demands, the disgruntled Assembly members said: “We are hence calling for immediate rescinding of the purported declaration as vacant, the seat of the Minority Leader, Kagara by the Zamfara State House of Assembly under the leadership of Bilyaminu Ismail Moriki.
“We deem it as an embarrassment emanating from ignorance, abuse of office, and a move to weed out anyone who challenges “them” in the State Assembly.
“It is sad to note that through these undue interferences by the powers that be among the lawmakers, they have been fighting and terrorizing even their own members who refuse to dance to their tune especially as rubber stamps, face suspension threats, but this cannot be allowed to continue with such abuse looking like business as usual,” they notedz
