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 (APC) had been suspended long before their decision to leave the party.
Moriki said the lawmakers were suspended on February 26, 2024, over allegations of gross misconduct, conspiracy, contempt of the House, and holding an unauthorised sitting in breach of the Assembly’s Standing Orders.
In a statement, the Speaker said the allegations also included claims that the lawmakers broke into the offices of the Clerk and Sergeant-at-Arms, forcibly entered the legislative chamber, damaged public property and convened an unauthorised sitting.
He said the Assembly subsequently filed a criminal complaint against the 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,” Moriki said.
The Speaker said the Assembly extended the lawmakers’ suspension for another legislative session on May 13, 2026, citing unresolved disciplinary issues and alleged violations of House rules.
Moriki rejected claims that the defections had plunged the legislature into crisis, saying the Assembly remained functional and continued to perform its constitutional duties.
“The Zamfara State House of Assembly is stable, functional and fully engaged in its constitutional responsibilities,” he said.
He added that the House currently has 16 active members and continues to hold plenary sessions in line with the Constitution and its Standing Orders.
Moriki urged the public to distinguish between the lawmakers’ political decisions and the disciplinary proceedings against them, stressing that a change in political affiliation does not invalidate existing legislative disciplinary measures or pending legal proceedings.
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