A tense situation unfolded at the House of Representatives on Thursday as the Governors of Zamfara State, Dauda Lawal, and Benue State, Rev Fr Hyacinth Alia, did not attend a summons from the House Committee on Public Petitions regarding crises in their respective State Houses of Assembly.
During the session, a visibly agitated suspended lawmaker from Zamfara State expressed his lack of faith in the process, lamenting his 16-month suspension and alleging bias from the House of Representatives.
Another suspended member from Benue urged the committee to proceed and reach a resolution, reminding them of the Green Chamber’s promise to investigate the matter even without the governors and state assembly leaders.
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The Committee had summoned both governors and the leadership of their state assemblies to explain why the House of Representatives should not take over the functions of the state legislatures.
This followed a petition from the civil rights organization, Guardians of Democracy and Rule of Law, which urged the House to invoke Section 11 of the 1999 Constitution due to the alleged inability of the Benue and Zamfara assemblies to function.
The core of the issue is the allegation that the governors in Benue and Zamfara orchestrated the suspension of lawmakers, leaving both assemblies without a quorum and unable to perform their lawmaking duties.
However, both the Benue and Zamfara State Houses of Assembly had rejected the summons, deeming it unconstitutional and an overreach of federal legislative authority, asserting they are not answerable to the National Assembly.
In Zamfara, the Assembly suspended four APC and six PDP members in February 2024 for allegedly holding an unauthorized plenary session.
In Benue, 13 lawmakers were suspended for three months for reportedly opposing the removal of the state’s chief judge, Maurice Ikpambese, accused of misconduct and corruption.
At the hearing, the petitioners’ legal representative, Ihensekhien Samuel, argued that the petition was based on legal precedent, stating that no State House of Assembly has the authority to suspend a member for more than 14 days, and any longer suspension is unconstitutional.
He expressed concern that the state governments had outrightly rejected the National Assembly’s authority to summon them.
One of the suspended Zamfara lawmakers voiced his frustration, stating, “Before we came here, we were informed that neither the governors nor the assembly leadership would appear. One of them even boasted in writing that nothing would come out of this process.”
However, the committee’s work encountered an initial procedural hurdle.
The Deputy Chairman of the Public Petitions Committee, Matthew Nwogu, presiding due to a leadership change, raised concerns that the petition might not have been formally presented to the House plenary.
“I have the paper here, but there is no House stamp on it. Until we confirm the petition was duly laid before the House and referred to this committee, we cannot proceed legitimately,” he stated.
While Samuel insisted the petition was properly submitted and referred, the committee decided to first investigate its procedural standing before moving forward.
The committee reiterated that the absence of those summoned would not stop their work but emphasized the need to follow due process, especially if the House intends to invoke Section 11 to take over state legislative functions.
The panel then adjourned the hearing to May 14, urging the petitioners to remain patient.
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