Governors Under Fire! Reps Committee Ignored Amid Suspension Controversy

The Governors of Benue State, Hyacinth Alia, and Zamfara State, Dauda Lawal, have defied a summons issued by the House of Representatives Public Petitions Committee on Thursday, May 8.

The summons was issued following a petition submitted on March 27, 2025, by Enhenseken Samoe, legal representative of the civil society group Guardians of Rule of Law and Democracy. The petition accused the two state governments of unlawfully suspending members of their respective Houses of Assembly.

The civil society group urged the National Assembly to invoke Section 11 of the 1999 Constitution and take over the legislative functions of both state assemblies, citing a breakdown in proper legislative processes.

The petition alleges that both governors played a role in orchestrating the suspension of lawmakers, thereby crippling the legislative arms of their states by preventing the formation of a quorum necessary for legislative proceedings.

In Zamfara, the State Assembly suspended four All Progressives Congress (APC) members and six Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) members in February 2024 for allegedly holding an unauthorized plenary session. The crisis deepened when two lawmakers—Bilyaminu Moriki and Bashar Gummi (representing Gummi I Constituency)—began claiming the speakership. Gummi’s faction held a separate session where Moriki was purportedly impeached. In retaliation, the Moriki-led Assembly suspended ten members aligned with Gummi, declaring their actions unconstitutional and nullifying the impeachment attempt.

Meanwhile, in Benue State, thirteen lawmakers were suspended for three months after they reportedly opposed the removal of Chief Judge Maurice Ikpambese, whom they had accused of gross misconduct and corruption.

During the committee hearing, Enhenseken Samoe stated: “Our petition is grounded in judicial precedent,” referencing rulings from the Court of Appeal and the Federal High Court. He added, “No House of Assembly has the authority to suspend a member for more than 14 days—any duration beyond that is unconstitutional.”