Ten suspended members of the Zamfara State House of Assembly on Friday staged a protest in Abuja, saying their suspension is a threat to democracy.
Addressing newsmen, Hon. Ibrahim Tudu Tuku, who read a text signed by himself and 9 other suspended members, said most of the decisions, including passage of the state’s 2025 Appropriation Bill, taken by the remaining 14 lawmakers in the House, were illegal, null and void.
The embattled lawmakers, comprising six PDP and four APC members, said they had petitioned the National Assembly over the crisis and hoped that the issues would be resolved, but the lawmaking body at the centre had yet to intervene.
They also said the declaration of the seat of the minority leader, Aliyu Ango Kagara, vacant was unconstitutional.
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Recall that Kagara’s seat was declared vacant on Tuesday on the ground that he had allegedly been absent from the House for an extended period, attending only 21 out of 180 sitting days.
The text signed by the embattled lawmakers read in part, “We have been under undue and illegal suspension by the Assembly just because we have all along refused to dance to their tunes and serve as rubber stamps for the executive.
“We are hence calling for immediate rescinding of the purported declaration as vacant, the seat of the Minority Leader and member representing Talata-Mafara South State Constituency, Hon. Aliyu Ango Kagara by the Zamfara State House of Assembly under the leadership of Hon. Bilyaminu Ismail Moriki.
“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 waiting for their response.”
Aside from Tuku, the affected members are Hon. Faruk Musa Dosara Bakura Constituency Maradun I Constituency; Hon. Shamsudeen Hassan; Hon. Bashar Aliyu Talata-Mafara North Constituency, Gummi I Constituency; Hon. Nasiru Abdullahi Maru; Hon. Barr. Bashir Abubakar Masama, Maru North Constituency Bukkuyum North Constituency.
Others are Hon. Amiru Ahmed, Hon. Basiru Bello Tsafe West Constituency Bungudu West Constituency; Hon. Aliyu Ango Kagara Talata-Mafara South and Hon. Mukhtaru Nasiru, Kaura Namoda North.
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