Niger Lawmakers Suspend Plenary Session Over Unresolved Issues With Executive

The Niger State House of Assembly entered a sudden crisis on Tuesday when lawmakers voted to suspend the plenary session indefinitely over what they called “unresolved issues” with the state executive arm.

The motion was introduced by Mohammed Abubakar, the representative for Chanchaga Constituency, who called for a halt to legislative business until the outstanding matters between the two branches of government were addressed.

Abubakar warned that failing to resolve these issues could undermine the Assembly’s credibility and send a negative signal to future legislators.

Although he did not disclose the specifics on the floor, he argued that continued silence would amount to a neglect of legislative responsibility.

The motion was seconded by Dr. Abdulrahman Gambo, the member for Borgu Constituency.

Opposition came from Jibrin Ndagi Baba of Lavun Constituency, who contended that there was no justification for halting the 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 intervened, calling for calm and urging members to exercise restraint.

After deliberations, the Speaker conducted a voice vote, and the majority of lawmakers supported the suspension of the plenary.

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

These tensions have been heightened by the recently concluded party primaries, in which only 12 of the 26 All Progressives Congress members secured return tickets through a consensus arrangement to participate in the forthcoming general elections in the state.