Intervene in Zamfara Assembly crisis, lawmaker urges NASS, security agencies Crisis

A member of Zamfara House of Assembly, Alh. Nasiru Maru, has called for urgent intervention by the National Assembly and security agencies in the crisis currently rocking the assembly to prevent total collapse.
Maru, who spoke at a news conference on Friday in Abuja on behalf of other suspended members of the assembly, said that the house had been fragmented and become fragile.
He said that the news conference was aimed at preventing the assembly from hitting the rocks due to some political interference and poor leadership.
He claimed that the seat of the Minority Leader, Aliyu Kagara, representing Talata-Mafara South Constituency, was declared vacant by a handful of members.
“The house, at its Jan. 28 sitting, ignorantly declared the seat of the minority leader vacant to silence members in the opposition. This, we condemn in its totality.
“The same house leadership suspended eight of us from the house since Feb. 26, 2024 illegally, without recourse to constitutional provisions or the House Standing Rules.
“Our salaries and allowances have been withheld, while our constituents have not been represented since then, just for voicing out our constituents’ security challenges before the lawmakers.
“The suspension, which was effected without due process or fair hearing, is a clear violation of our rights and the principles of natural justice,” he said.
Maru stated that the declaration of Kagara’s seat vacant was a further attempt to silence and disenfranchise him for his stance on the call for the assembly to reverse the suspension of eight members and address the perceived injustice.
While stating that the suspended lawmakers were behind Kagara, he said that they had been under ‘undue and illegal suspension’ by the assembly because of their refusal to serve as rubber stamps.
According to him, the 24-member assembly can no longer boast of two-third majority without the suspended lawmakers, including Kagara.
“Therefore, most of the decisions taken under the circumstances by the present number legislature, including passage of the 2025 Appropriation Bill and State Law 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 to do,” Maru said.
He, therefore, called for immediate rescinding of the purported declaration by the assembly, under the leadership of Bilyaminu Moriki, saying it was embarrassing and that it emanated from ignorance and abuse of office.
“We wish to call on the national assembly, security agencies, non-governmental organisations and other stakeholders to call the assembly to order.
“We also call on the national assembly to caution the state legislature over this matter that may lead to taking them to court with claims of damages.
Maru said that the suspended lawmakers had petitioned the national assembly and were waiting for its response.
“We sent a petition to the national assembly; they called us and later asked us to go back, that they would invite us for further investigation. We are still waiting for their response,” he said.
The suspended lawmakers include: Ibrahim Tukur, Faruk Dosara, Shamsudeen Hassan, Bashar Aliyu,
Bashir Masama, Amiru Ahmed, Basiru Bello and Mukhtaru Nasiru. (https://newsatlarge.ng)