Ten lawmakers in the Zamfara State House of Assembly have strongly opposed the dismissal of Aliyu Ango-Kagar, the former Minority Leader, calling it illegal and politically motivated.
The Speaker of the House, Bilyaminu Moriki, had declared Ango-Kagar’s seat vacant, citing prolonged absenteeism. According to the Speaker, the lawmaker attended only 21 out of 180 plenary sessions, which led to his removal.
However, the aggrieved lawmakers, who addressed journalists in Abuja on Friday, argued that the decision was a plot to silence opposition voices in the Assembly.
The Zamfara State House of Assembly has 24 members, and 14 lawmakers reportedly supported the motion to remove Ango-Kagar, leaving the remaining 10 members furious.
The dissatisfied lawmakers, led by Nasiru Maru, who represents Maru I Constituency, said the removal of the All Progressives Congress (APC) lawmaker was an act of political manipulation.
“We have been forced to write to the National Assembly for intervention before things get out of hand,” Maru stated.
He accused the House leadership of taking orders from the executive, saying, “Without a minority leader, the Assembly is now under the control of the executive and is virtually taking orders from there.”
Maru further revealed that eight of the ten opposing lawmakers had already been placed on illegal suspension for refusing to support the Speaker’s agenda.
“We have been under undue and illegal suspension by the Assembly just because we refused to dance to their tunes and serve as rubber stamps for the executive,” he said.
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He argued that their suspension and the removal of Ango-Kagar had weakened the Assembly’s decision-making process, rendering most of its recent actions illegal.
“If you remove 10 of us, including or excluding Kagara, the 24-member Assembly can no longer boast of a two-thirds majority.
“Therefore, most of the decisions taken under the circumstances, including the passage of the 2025 Appropriation Bill and amendments to state laws, are illegal, null, and void,” Maru added.
The aggrieved lawmakers demanded the immediate reinstatement of Aliyu Ango-Kagar and described the decision to remove him as an embarrassment to democracy.
“We are calling for the immediate rescinding of the purported declaration of Ango-Kagar’s seat as vacant by the Zamfara State House of Assembly under the leadership of Hon. Bilyaminu Moriki.
“This decision is nothing but an act of ignorance, abuse of office, and a move to silence anyone who dares to challenge them,” Maru stated.