The Zamfara State House of Assembly has declared the seat of Aliyu Ango Kagara, the member representing Talata Mafara South Constituency, vacant.
This decision the follows a motion presented by the House Majority Leader, Bello Muhammad Mazawajje Tsafe, and seconded by the Deputy Speaker, Adamu Aliyu Gummi, during a plenary session.
Presenting the motion, Bello Mazawajje noted that Aliyu Ango Kagara representing Madara west constituentcy had been absent from the House for an extended period, attending only 21 out of 180 sitting days. This, he explained, is a violation of the Nigerian Constitution and the standing rules of the House, which mandate consistent participation in legislative activities.
Other members Including Kabiru Mikailu Dangulbi representating Maru South Constituecy, Rilwanu Marafa Nagambo representing Anka constituency, Ibrahim Garba Liman Fegin Mahe representing Gusau II constituency and Adamu Aliyu Gummi of Gummi II Constituency also supported the motion.
They emphasized the importance of upholding the House rules and constitutional provisions.
However, another lawmaker Halliru Abdullahi Kuturu representing Zurmi East Constituency requested the house to consider another alternative disciplinary measures instead of declaring the Seat vacant
The decision according to a press release issued by the chief press Secretary, Zamfara State House of Assembly, Bello Madaro, is in line with Sections 101 and 109(2) of the Nigerian Constitution, citing Hon. Kagara’s persistent absenteeism as grounds for the action.
Prior to the latest decision according to the press release, several committees were formed to engage with the Lawmaker in question to address the issue, but all efforts to resolve the matter amicably proved unsuccessful.
Aliyu Ango Kagara, of the All Progressives Congress (APC), is the Minority Leader of the House, before his seat was declared vacant.
The declaration of the Mafara South Constituecy seat vacant has generated alot of mixed reaction, which the Zamfara APC considered as illegal and call on the Zamfara state House of Assembly to remind their decision
A press Statement by the publicity secretary of the Zamfara APC Yusuf Idris Gusau described the move as an embarrassment emanating from ignorance, abuse of office, and a move to weed out the APC from the state House Assembly.
The statement adds that the move was for political reasons to silence the opposition in the house, this, we condemn in its totality, the APC Said.
“The same Bilyaminu’s House leadership suspended nine other members from the House on 8th January last year, 2024 illegally without recourse to the constitutional provision or House standing rules and all the salaries and allowances of the affected Honourable members were withheld just for voicing out their constituents security challenges before the house which became a crime against the house leadership” The statement reads.
“It is sad to note that the law makers, majority of who are from the PDP have been fighting and terrorizing even their own members who refuse to dance to their tunes especially as rubber stamps face suspension and other threats but keep silent having come from the same party will expect the APC to be quiet when harassed” He added.
“The members who expect Kagara’s seat to be declared vacant are either ignorant of or adamant to the fact that Hon Aliyu Ango Kagara was inaugurated as a member representing Talata Mafara South on 8th June, 2023 as a member of the 7th Assembly of Zamfara State making the legislative year’s span from June to June for four years, and 2023 has ended we are now in the second legislative year from June 2024 to June 2025 now six moths old with the house currently on recess since September last year, due to ongoing house renovation which even trapped the 2025 Appropriation bill presentation compelling it into a matter of public importance and reopened the house to allow the governor present the budget proposal before it” Yusuf Maintained.
“Because of their selfish interests, they deliberately forgot that in the second legislative year, the house only sat for 2 months because in the first four months, they were on renovation recess while the remaining six months, are yet to come and for which they don’t have the knowledge of seeing but they blindly went ahead and declared vacant a ranking house member’s seat who was elected into the House for the fourth time. Confirming their ignorance that before declaring or removing any member, it requires constitutional interpretation and certain processes that must be followed and not an arbitrary announcement by a bunch of illiterates”
“The Zamfara assembly also needs to explain to the electorate how many times they sat to take effective decisions in the House of Assembly which has been moving from one place to another and only come together on a short notice to meet in secretive manners and take the bidding of their master who has since turned them into rubber stamps that are only convenient to some PDP members” The APC advised”.
“Similarly, any member found in violation of the House rules must be given fair hearing preceding any action and not the blind folded action of those members who think their uniformed act will hold water”
The Zamfara APC enjoin it’s members and supporters to remain calm and peaceful despite what it described as unfair treatment to it elected Lawmaker
“The APC as a party while calling on the National Assembly to call the Zamfara State House of Assembly to order, wishes to caution the state legislature over this matter that may lead to taking them to court with claims of damages, order for apologies etc clamped on them”
