Ten suspended members of the Zamfara State House of Assembly held a protest in Abuja on Friday, arguing that their suspension undermines Nigeria’s democracy.
The lawmakers, who are from both the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and the All Progressives Congress (APC), gathered to voice their concerns and demand justice.
Hon. Ibrahim Tudu Tuku, who read a statement on behalf of the group, claimed that decisions made by the remaining 14 members of the Assembly, including the passage of the 2025 Appropriation Bill, were illegal and invalid.
The suspended lawmakers, which include six from the PDP and four from the APC, revealed that they had appealed to the National Assembly for intervention in the matter. However, they said they had yet to receive any response or action from the central legislative body.
They also challenged the recent declaration of the seat of the minority leader, Hon. Aliyu Ango Kagara, as vacant, describing it as unconstitutional. Kagara’s seat was declared vacant on Tuesday due to his alleged failure to attend sufficient sittings, attending only 21 out of 180 days.
The statement, signed by Tuku and the other suspended lawmakers, further expressed their frustration.
“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,” they said.
They called for the immediate reversal of the decision to declare Kagara’s seat vacant, under the leadership of Hon. Bilyaminu Ismail Moriki, and stated that they had been waiting for a response from the National Assembly after their petition.
