On Tuesday, the Niger State House of Assembly entered a period of instability after legislators voted to indefinitely pause plenary sessions. This action stems from what members termed ongoing conflicts with the state executive branch.
The suspension was initiated by Mohammed Abubakar, representing the Chanchaga Constituency. He argued that legislative duties should remain frozen until the grievances between the two branches of government are settled. Abubakar cautioned that ignoring these problems threatens the institution’s integrity. Although he avoided naming specific issues during the session, he asserted that remaining silent would be a dereliction of duty. His proposal received support from Dr. Abdulrahman Gambo, the representative for Borgu.
Resistance emerged from Jibrin Ndagi Baba of Lavun, who contended that stalling the session after it had already begun was unjustified. He suggested that such disputes should be discussed privately in an executive session. This led to a tense confrontation on the floor, momentarily stalling operations.
Speaker Abdulmalik Sarkindaji eventually stepped in to de-escalate the situation. After a voice vote, the majority of the members elected to suspend public proceedings to hold a closed-door meeting to address the impasse. Political friction has been rising in the Assembly since the recent APC primaries, which resulted in only 12 out of 26 incumbents securing return tickets via a consensus model.
