Niger lawmakers revolt, suspend plenary over ‘unresolved issues’ with executive

The Niger State House of Assembly was thrown into sudden crisis on Tuesday as lawmakers suspended plenary indefinitely over what they described as “unresolved issues” with the state executive arm.

The decision came shortly after proceedings commenced when Mohammed Abubakar, representing Chanchaga Constituency, moved a motion calling for the suspension of legislative business until the outstanding matters between both arms of government are addressed.

He warned that failure to resolve the issues could undermine the credibility of the Assembly and send the wrong signal to future legislators.

Although Abubakar did not disclose the details on the floor, he insisted that continued silence on the matter would amount to neglect of legislative responsibility.

His motion was seconded by Dr. Abdulrahman Gambo, who represents Borgu Constituency.

However, the move faced opposition from Jibrin Ndagi Baba of Lavun Constituency, who argued that there was no justification for halting plenary after the House had already reconvened for the day’s business.

Baba maintained that such matters should have been handled in an executive session.

The disagreement escalated into a heated exchange on the floor, briefly disrupting proceedings.

Speaker Abdulmalik Sarkindaji later intervened, appealing for calm and urging members to exercise restraint in handling the matter.

Following deliberations, the Speaker put the motion to a voice vote, where the majority of lawmakers supported the suspension of plenary.

The House subsequently resolved to retire into an executive session to deliberate on the issues and determine its formal position.

It would be recalled that tensions within the Assembly have been heightened following the recently concluded party primaries, in which only 12 of the 26 All Progressives Congress (APC) members secured return tickets through a consensus arrangement to participate in the forthcoming general elections in the state.