…Alleges burglary, forcible entry, destruction of Assembly property
Zainab Abioye
The Speaker of the Zamfara State House of Assembly, Bilyaminu Ismail Moriki, has said the eight lawmakers who recently announced their defection from the All Progressives Congress were already under suspension long before their decision to leave the party.
Moriki said the lawmakers were suspended on February 26, 2024, over allegations of gross misconduct, conspiracy, mischief, contempt of the House and convening an unauthorised sitting in breach of the Assembly’s Standing Orders.
The Speaker made the clarification in a statement issued on Monday, amid the controversy generated by the lawmakers’ defection from the APC.
He described the defection as an attempt to divert public attention from the disciplinary and legal issues involving the affected lawmakers.
According to him, the allegations against the lawmakers went beyond mere breaches of parliamentary procedure, as they allegedly involved breaking into offices of the Clerk and Sergeant-at-Arms, forcibly accessing the legislative chamber and damaging public property.
Moriki said the lawmakers subsequently convened what he described as an unauthorised sitting, prompting the Assembly to initiate disciplinary proceedings against them.
He added that a criminal complaint had also been instituted against the affected lawmakers before a court of competent jurisdiction.
“Their suspension was therefore not a consequence of their present political decision. It substantially predates their purported defection and arose from disciplinary matters within the Assembly,” the Speaker said.
The development followed reports that eight members of the Assembly had dumped the APC, sparking questions over the strength and stability of the ruling party in the state and the implications for the legislature.
However, Moriki insisted that the political development had not paralysed the Assembly, stressing that the affected lawmakers had remained suspended over unresolved disciplinary matters.
He further disclosed that the House, on May 13, 2026, approved the extension of the lawmakers’ suspension for another legislative session.
The extension, he said, was based on unresolved disciplinary issues and alleged violations of the rules of the House.
Moriki argued that the disciplinary action could not be interpreted as political victimisation, noting that two other lawmakers who had previously been suspended were reinstated after apologising to the Assembly.
He said the Assembly’s handling of the matter demonstrated that its disciplinary process was not targeted at members on the basis of their political affiliation.
The Speaker also rejected claims that the Zamfara legislature had been thrown into crisis by the suspension and defection of the lawmakers.
He said the House currently had 16 active members and remained capable of conducting legislative business in accordance with the Constitution and its Standing Orders.
“The Zamfara State House of Assembly is stable, functional and fully engaged in its constitutional responsibilities. The purported defection of members who have remained under suspension cannot be presented as evidence of disarray in the House,” Moriki said.
He disclosed that the Assembly held plenary last Tuesday and was scheduled to reconvene on Monday.
The Speaker urged the public to distinguish between the lawmakers’ political decisions and the disciplinary proceedings instituted against them before their reported defection.
He maintained that changing political platforms did not automatically extinguish disciplinary proceedings or pending legal actions arising from alleged misconduct.
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