Zamfara Assembly: Former lawmakers seek reinstatement of suspended members

From Noah Ebije, Kaduna

The Forum of former Legislators of Zamfara State House of Assembly has made a case for eight members who were suspended by the incumbent leadership of the house, asking the house to recall them for allegedly suspending them without following due process.

Addressing a news conference in Kaduna on Sunday, the spokesperson of the Forum, Hon. Yusuf Alhassan Kanoma, said the suspension of the eight members was a clear flagrant disobedience to the rule of law by an arm of government that ought to have been the protector and maintainer of laws of governance.

Hon. Kanoma warned that should the house fail to recall the embattled members, the Forum would have no option but to drag the house to court within two weeks.

“We, members of the Former Legislators Forum of Zamfara State, are here before you while our hearts are bleeding. Our mindset is shaky with clear dismay at the flagrant disobedience to the rule of law by an arm of government that ought to have been the protector and maintainer of our laws of governance, the Zamfara State House of Assembly.

“This is perceptible through the series of events that are going on at Zamfara State House of Assembly under the leadership of Hon. Bilyaminu Ismail Moriki as the Speaker and Mahmud Aliyu as the Clerk to the House. It is a known fact that democracy is a system upon which people are represented and heard, through representations at the state assembly via the provision of Section 90 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), as a right, not a privilege.

“To this end, many constituencies were deprived of this representation unjustly, numbering about ten (10) out of 24 electoral constituencies, as provided by the Constitution, just for personal gain. What a pity? We consider it imperative to voice out our concern to the general public, our true position on this atrocious act perpetuated by the current leadership of the Zamfara State House of Assembly in betrayal of what they swore to protect and preserve as their oath of office.

“The reality and fact of the matter are that, sometime in 2024, eight (8) members of Zamfara State House of Assembly were unjustifiably suspended without following the due process of law. Members representing Bakura, Maru North, Bungudu East, Gummi I, Bukkuyum West, Tsafe West, Mafara North, Kaura Namoda South, and Maradun I respectively (Hon. Ibrahim T. Tukur, Hon. Nasiru Abdullahi, Bashir Sarkin Zango, Hon. Bashir Gummi, Hon. Bashir Abubakar Masama, Hon. Amiru Keta, Hon. Shamsudeen Hassan Basko, Hon. Jikan Shehu, and Hon. Faruku Musa Dosara) were suspended on flimsy excuses of violating unstated rules of the House while exercising their constitutional duties,” he said.

The Forum also vowed to drag the house before the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) because, “It is very disheartening and in deliberate disobedience of laid-down rules as provided in the Zamfara State House of Assembly Standing Orders of 2014 (as amended), including the caricatured new rules passed in 2024 by the House (which cannot pass the test of a competent court). Their salaries were stopped, and all their entitlements were hurriedly and dishonestly shared between the Principal Officers of the House, in contravention of existing financial instruction rules of the state. It is crystal clear how, in violation of Section 36(1) (Fair Hearing) of the 1999 Constitution of Nigeria and S3 (a & b) of the Legislative Houses (Powers and Privileges) Act 2014, the Hon. members were arraigned before Magistrate Court 1 Gusau, labelled with criminal charges from the Office of the State Attorney General and Commissioner of Justice under the influence and directive of the executives.

“This is direct strangulation of democracy and its principles of power separation as contained in the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended). The penalty, if any contempt may have been in place, is not more than 14 legislative days, as provided by Standing Orders of the Hon. House, which is now over 350 days. What a mirage.

“Indeed, many influential personalities, Ulama, National Assembly, Legislative Forum, political parties, political allies of the Governor (i.e. Sambo Gusau), and another committee headed by the SA Assembly matters, Hon. Shehu Ahmad Sarkin Fulani, with another committee headed by the Governor himself and other well-meaning Nigerians, including General Ali Gusau, waded in to settle this rift, but it all proved abortive due to the interference and ill-mannered administrators of the House under the leadership of Clerk (Mahmud Aliyu), who provided wrongful advice through the inexperience of the House leadership.

“The aggrieved legislators were persuaded to withdraw their pending matters before the Federal High Court Gusau and Zamfara State High Court of Justice as proposed by the Sambo committee, which they obliged in the interest of peace and harmony, but the leadership of the State Assembly under Hon. Bilyaminu Ismail Moriki failed to play their part and refused to allow peace to reign.

“Unanimously, we are of the view that the recent declaration of Hon. Aliyu Ango Kagara’s (minority leader) seat vacant is in nullity and is done on the premise to open a new theatre of war, as the leadership realised how it was cornered by his protest of not participating in any legislative function until the rule of law is restored and adhered to as provided by Order X Rule 5 & 6 of Zamfara State House of Assembly Standing Orders 2024 (as amended), by calling back the suspended Hon. members in line with the subsidiary legislation of the House.

“We condemn the act and inaction of Zamfara State House of Assembly in all its acts of disobedience to the rule of law, hypocrisy, and strangulation of democracy for selfish interests. Laws are made to be followed in total, not in selection for Machiavellian implementation by the Speaker and the Clerk, as it is now in the Assembly.

“They failed to adhere to the rules and many court pronouncements (Hon. Rifkatu v Speaker Bauchi State House of Assembly 2019 by Court of Appeal) on illegal suspension of a member, but mischievously declared a Hon. member’s seat vacant, relying on the same legislation they failed to adhere to, very unbecoming of a legislator. We therefore call on the leadership of Zamfara State House of Assembly, the Executive Governor of Zamfara State, and the political leadership of PDP and APC in the state to act in accordance with the provisions of the law, most especially Sections 90, 101, 104, and 107 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), which are in tandem with state assembly matters respectively.

“Compliance with such orders in the standing rules is mandatory, to promote the rule of law and equal justice. Let all these unholy decisions be reverted for the protection of law and order, equity, justice, fair play, and lawful representation in all constituencies of the state,” Kanoma added.