The suspension of 10 members of the Zamfara State House of Assembly by the state legislature since February 26, 2024, and the extension of suspension of seven of them on May 13, 2026, which led to their current resignation from the All Progressives Congress, has little doubt, denied a big inhabitants of the state a good illustration in the state legislature. Ejiofor Alike writes that the political leaders and elders in the state ought to reconcile the lawmakers in the spirit of democracy and for the curiosity of the folks of the state
What began contained in the chambers of the Zamfara State House of Assembly as a mere legislative disagreement that’s frequent in each democracy, has since degenerated right into a protracted disaster that has denied a big inhabitants of the state a good illustration in the state legislature.
The disaster worsened in February 2024 following what majority of the lawmakers described as a failed try by a faction of the lawmakers to question the speaker, Hon. Bilyaminu Ismail Moriki.
Moriki was accused by the aggrieved faction of alleged misconduct and high-handedness. Consequently, the faction elected Hon. Bashar Aliyu Gummi as the brand new Speaker.
However, the impeachment failed and the bulk lawmakers loyal to the speaker, Hon Moriki suspended the ten lawmakers indefinitely on February 26, 2024.
The suspended lawmakers have been drawn from each the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Some of the affected lawmakers embody: Hon. Aliyu Ango Kagara (Talata Mafara South), Hon. Ibrahim Tudu Tukur (Bakura), Hon. Nasiru Abdullahi (Maru North), Hon. Faruk Musa Dosara (Maradun 1), Hon. Bashar Aliyu Gummi (Gummi 1), Hon. Bashir Abubakar Masama (Bukkuyum North), Hon. Amiru Ahmed (Tsafe West), Hon. Basiru Bello (Bungudu West), and Hon. Mukhtaru Nasiru (Kaura Namoda North).
The lawmakers have been accused by the bulk faction of housebreaking, forcible entry, and destruction of public property, together with allegedly breaking into the places of work of the Clerk and the Sergeant-at-Arms, forcibly having access to the Legislative Chamber, damaging Assembly property, and thereafter convening an unauthorised sitting.
In March 2024, the suspended lawmakers raised the alarm that political thugs have been after their lives and had attacked a few of them, which compelled them into hiding.
After a protracted suspension, the embattled lawmakers reconvened in April 2025 and held a parallel plenary session in Gusau, declaring their suspension unlawful, deceptive, and baseless.
The lawmakers, who reaffirmed Hon. Gummi, as Speaker, introduced a one-month ultimatum to Governor Dauda Lawal to handle the worsening insecurity throughout the state.
They additionally issued a 48-hour ultimatum to the state governor to re-present the 2025 Appropriation Bill, declaring the one introduced to Hon. Moriki-led Assembly as null and void.
The disaster deepened early this month when seven of the lawmakers resigned from the APC, citing insecurity and lack of concern for the welfare of the folks on the a part of the APC-led state authorities.
Speaking on behalf of the lawmakers, Hon. Kagara alleged that the embattled lawmakers had gone 32 months with out receiving salaries, allowances and different entitlements.
According to him, their disagreement with the governor had lasted for greater than two years and was rooted largely in insecurity.
In its response, the state chapter of APC, by means of the celebration’s Publicity Secretary, Ibrahim Birnin-Magaji, stated the APC had solely seen the resignation letters on social media and was ready for the lawmakers’ correspondence to be transmitted by means of their wards and native authorities buildings.
But the recognised Speaker, Hon. Moriki insisted that the lawmakers had been suspended from the House lengthy earlier than their purported defection.
The speaker acknowledged that the lawmakers have been suspended on February 26, 2024 following allegations of gross misconduct, conspiracy, mischief, contempt of the House, and convening an unlawful sitting in violation of the Standing Orders of the Assembly.
Moriki described their resignation from the APC as an try and divert public consideration from the substantive disciplinary points surrounding their suspension and to create an faulty impression of instability throughout the Assembly.
The speaker additional defined that on May 13, 2026, the House authorized extending the suspension for an additional legislative session as a result of unresolved disciplinary points and violations of House guidelines.
He famous that two different lawmakers who had earlier been suspended subsequently tendered apologies to the House and have been reinstated, demonstrating that the disciplinary measures have been neither politically-motivated nor focused at any political affiliation.
Moriki additionally dismissed strategies that the state House of Assembly lacked the capability to conduct legislative enterprise, stressing that the House at present has 16 energetic members, and has continued to conduct its proceedings in accordance with the Constitution and its Standing Orders.
He stated there was “no basis whatsoever for portraying the Zamfara State House of Assembly as being in disarray.”
The resignation of the lawmakers from the APC got here barely seven months after Governor Lawal moved from the PDP to the APC, turning the ruling celebration into the dominant political pressure in Zamfara State.
In March 2026, Lawal defected from the PDP to the APC, citing the extended authorized and management disaster throughout the opposition celebration.
The transfer was adopted by the defection of the Speaker, Moriki and 12 different members from the PDP to the APC.
At the time, the event meant all 24 members of the state legislature have been in the APC.
However, regardless of the assurances given by the speaker that the state meeting is steady and never in disarray, political analysts imagine that the suspension of such quite a lot of lawmakers, which denied them salaries and different allowances for over 32 months shouldn’t be an indication of stability in the state legislature.
With the extended suspension, a big inhabitants of the state could have been denied truthful illustration in the state meeting.
The affected constituencies and democracy are the best losers in this extended supremacy battle and energy play.
In the curiosity of democracy and the part of the state being represented by the embattled lawmakers, the leaders and elders of the state ought to intervene and reconcile the warring factions.
Governor Lawal; Minister of State for Defence and former governor of the state, Mr. Bello Matawalle; the Senator representing Zamfara East, Abdulaziz Yari, and different leaders and elders in the state ought to intervene by means of unofficial channels and resolve the disaster.
They ought to discharge this position as statesmen in the curiosity of the folks of the state.
The precept of Separation of Power shouldn’t be an excuse to depart the state legislature to deal with the disaster alone when it’s evident that they can not reconcile themselves.
The continued silence or connivance of among the leaders in the state is politics taken too far.
Despite no matter will be the weaknesses of the state House of Assembly, eight or 10 lawmakers don’t signify the bulk in a 24-member state meeting.
Instead of encouraging the minority lawmakers to put declare to the management of the state legislature, the 2 fractions needs to be reconciled and the bulk allowed to emerge and management the House in line with the tenets of democracy.
