Court Case Halts Reps Move to Take Over Benue, Zamfara Assemblies

The House of Representatives Committee on Public Petitions has postponed its hearing on a petition demanding that the National Assembly take over the Benue and Zamfara State Houses of Assembly. The session has been rescheduled for May 28.

Committee Chairman, Rep. Bitrus Laori (PDP, Adamawa), announced the adjournment during the hearing in Abuja, explaining that court documents had been served, indicating that the matter is already before a Federal High Court.

According to Laori, the case, filed as Suit No. FHC/MKD/CS/146/2025 on May 5 at the Federal High Court in Makurdi, is now set for hearing on May 19. Additionally, the Benue State House of Assembly leadership has requested a meeting with the Benue Caucuses of both the Senate and House of Representatives to discuss the matter.

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“In light of the ongoing court process and the dialogue request from Benue’s Assembly leadership, our decision on whether to proceed with the petition will be made on May 28,” Laori said.

The petition stems from political turmoil in both Benue and Zamfara. In Benue, 13 lawmakers were suspended for three months after allegedly opposing the removal of the Chief Judge, Justice Maurice Ikpambese, over accusations of corruption and misconduct.

In Zamfara, a deepening political rift began in February 2024 when ten lawmakers—four from the APC and six from the PDP—were suspended for allegedly holding an unauthorized plenary. The crisis escalated as two lawmakers, Bilyaminu Moriki and Bashar Gummi, declared themselves Speaker in rival factions.

Gummi’s faction held a parallel session and claimed to impeach Moriki, prompting retaliation from Moriki’s side, which suspended 10 Gummi-aligned members and dismissed the impeachment as illegitimate.

These tensions prompted the Guardians of Democracy and Rule of Law, along with suspended lawmakers from both states, to petition the House. Although the committee invited governors and assembly speakers from both states, they failed to appear. The petitioners, represented by lawyer Emmanuel Onwudiwe, were present for the hearing.