The Speaker of the Zamfara State House of Assembly has clarified that the eight lawmakers who recently dumped the APC were suspended over alleged burglary and gross misconduct, not because of their political choices.
The eight lawmakers recently made headlines when they announced their defection from the All Progressives Congress (APC). However, Speaker Bilyaminu Ismail Moriki stated that the group is simply using the defection to distract the public from their ongoing disciplinary issues.
“The purported defection of members who have remained under suspension cannot be presented as evidence of disarray in the House…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
According to the Speaker, the Assembly actually suspended these members way back on February 26, 2024, and in May 2026, the House voted to extend the suspension into another legislative session because the issues remained unresolved.
The affected members are accused of serious offenses, including forcibly breaking into the offices of the Assembly Clerk and the Sergeant-at-Arms, destroying government property, and holding an illegal legislative sitting. The situation is so severe that a criminal complaint has already been filed against them in court.
Moriki also revealed that two other lawmakers who were initially suspended alongside the group recently apologized to the House and they have since been forgiven and reinstated to their positions.
The Zamfara Assembly held its plenary last Tuesday and is scheduled to sit again on Monday to continue its regular business. Meanwhile, the eight defected lawmakers will still have to face their pending criminal charges, as changing political parties does not cancel out the allegations against them.
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