The Niger State House of Assembly on Tuesday abruptly suspended plenary following a rowdy session triggered by unresolved issues reportedly existing between the legislature and the executive arm of government.
The tension began shortly after the commencement of proceedings when the member representing Chanchaga Constituency, Mohammed Abubakar Kabir (Ustaz), moved a motion calling for the suspension of the day’s sitting pending the resolution of outstanding matters.
Speaking on the motion, the lawmaker warned that history would not judge the Assembly kindly if pressing concerns were ignored or left unresolved.
However, details of the issues were not disclosed publicly as members agreed that discussions should be moved into an executive session.
The situation escalated when the member representing Lavun Constituency, Jibrin Ndagi Baba, opposed the motion and argued that legislative business should continue since the House had already resumed sitting.
The disagreement generated heated exchanges among lawmakers and disrupted proceedings.
Following deliberations, the majority of members voted in favour of stepping down the plenary, leading to the suspension of the sitting.
Intervening, the Speaker of the House, Abdulmalik Sarkindaji, appealed for calm and urged members to respect opposing views in the interest of legislative harmony and institutional responsibility.
Although no official explanation was provided regarding the unresolved matters, there were speculations linking the development to grievances arising from the recent All Progressives Congress (APC) primary elections.
As of press time, no date had been announced for the resumption of plenary.
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Politics