Governor Hyacinth Alia of Benue State and his Zamfara State counterparts, Governor Dauda Lawal, and the leadership of the two Houses of Assembly, have been given another grace to appear before the House of Representatives Panel on Thursday, 14th May, 2025.
The two Governors and the leadership of their various Houses of Assembly were absent Thursday during the petition hearing before the House Committee on Public Petition in the National Assembly, Abuja.
The petition was predicated upon suspending 13 Benue House of Assembly members and 10 members of the Zamfara State House of Assembly from February 2024. Written by a group of Lawyers under the aegis of Guardians of Democracy, it was laid on the floor of the House on 27 March 2025 by the Deputy Spokesperson of the House, Hon. Philip Agbese.
Hon. Douglas Akya, representing Makurdi South, led the Benue suspended Members at the panel’s Inaugural sitting on Thursday. In contrast, Hon. Aliyu Ango Kagara, representing Talata Mafara South and Minority Leader, led the Zamfara Members.
Popular Activist and erudite Lawyer, Ihensekhien Samuel Junior, Counsel to the Petitioners, who led a team of 12 Lawyers on Thursday, urged the National Assembly to give the matter accelerated hearing, allaying the fears that the case was not in any court, citing series of authorities to prove that, the House could still entertain the petition even if the matter is in court, provided, there is no subsisting Order to stop the panel.
“So we base our petition on that. The gist of our complaint in which we brought before this Committee is that, particularly in Zamfara State, where you had some Members, to the range of 11 Members of the State House Assembly were suspended, allegedly on the details and instructions from the executive arm of of government in that state for 16 months running.
“Also, you had some Members of the Benue House of Assembly, 13 of them were also illegally suspended. And particularly, when you look at these two scenarios, you find it impracticable for these two different Houses of Assembly to form a quorum to decide to sit.
“So the question is, can these few Members legitimately and legally form a quorum to proceed into these states’ law-making duties? This is the whole ground norm of what we have submitted before the House of Representatives and where they find merit in our petition, they can consequent upon their constitutional powers as clearly defined in our written brief in which we are playing today; we are asking them to look at it and exercise jurisdiction to takeover the functions of law-making of these two different Houses.
“More particularly, the House has very ostensible power, the residual power and overriding powers, and some other powers donated to them by the Constitution, to investigate and eventually prevail on the leadership of the respective Houses of Assembly to use ADR or other avenues, to resolve the issues. But the most important thing is that we want these Members of the State Houses of Assembly to be reelected forthwith, without any impediment”, Barr. Ihensekhien told Journalists after sitting.
On his part, the newly appointed Chairman of the House Committee on Public Petitions, Hon. Laori Kwamoti, appealed to suspended Members and the Petitioners to remain calm, assuring them of level playing grounds by his Committee.
“I want to plead with you that we will follow this proceeding diligently. We assure you that nobody’s right shall be trampled upon here. You have to have confidence in us to enable us to serve you better,” he said.
Hon. Nwogu Mathew, Vice Chairman of the Committee, who presided over Thursday’s sitting, said the committee’s leadership was recently reshuffled, allowing a new Chairman and members to emerge.
While adjourning until 14th May 2025 to enable both Governors and Assembly leadership to attend, Hon. Nwogu said the time of grace would also afford the Committee to check through its records, with the view to enabling the new leadership of the Committee to take over the case judiciously.
Recall that the House of Representatives extended invitations to the Governors, assembly leadership, and Members on Friday, May 2nd, 2025, to appear before the panel to unravel the rationale behind their Members’ suspensions, thereby hampering legislative business in their respective states.