Zamfara lawmakers challenge suspension, demand reinstatement

Ten suspended lawmakers from the Zamfara State House of Assembly have protested their suspension, accusing the Assembly leadership of political manipulation and calling for intervention from the National Assembly and other stakeholders.

The lawmakers—six from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and four from the All Progressives Congress (APC)—held a press conference in Abuja, condemning the decision to declare the Minority Leader’s seat vacant.

They also condemned the previous suspension of eight members, which they said was carried out without due process.

“The House, at its Tuesday sitting, January 28, ignorantly declared the seat of the Minority Leader vacant just for political reasons to silence any reasonable member of the House. This, we condemn in its totality,” said Nasiru Maru, a PDP lawmaker representing Maru South.

The lawmakers alleged that the Assembly, under Speaker Bilyaminu Moriki, had been acting on directives from the state executive.

“The same Bilyaminu’s House leadership suspended eight of us from the House on February 26, 2024, illegally without recourse to constitutional provisions or the House Standing Rules. Our salaries and allowances have been withheld, and our constituents have not been represented since then just for voicing out our constituents’ security challenges before the House, which became a crime against the House leadership,” Maru stated.

He argued that the removal of 10 lawmakers had left the 24-member Assembly unable to form a two-thirds majority, making its decisions, including the passage of the 2025 Appropriation Bill, legally questionable.

READ ALSO:10 Zamfara lawmakers seek NASS intervention over ‘illegal’ suspension

“We wish to call on the National Assembly, security agencies, non-governmental organizations, and other stakeholders to call the Zamfara State House of Assembly to order as well as caution the State Legislature over this matter that may lead to taking them to court with claims of damages,” he added.

The Zamfara State House of Assembly has yet to respond to the lawmakers’ allegations.