The summons was contained in a statement issued by the Head of Media, House Committee on Public Petitions, Chooks Oko. The lawmakers seek explanations from the governor and the house on issues ranging from legislative suspensions to deteriorating security, and why the National Assembly should not take over the functions of the state assembly as permitted under Section 11(4) of the 1999 Constitution.
In Zamfara, the situation is complicated by the emergence of a parallel assembly, with nine lawmakers claiming continued legitimacy despite being suspended. These lawmakers, operating under a factional leadership, recently asked the governor to present the 2025 budget, as they insisted on performing their legislative duties.
Zamfara has been an epicenter of persistent insecurity, battling unrelenting attacks by bandits operating across forests and rural communities, engaging in mass abductions, cattle rustling, and extortion.
The Senior Special Assistant to Governor Dauda Lawal on Media and Communications, Mustafa Jafaru Kaura, said the National Assembly had no constitutional right to invite a serving governor to appear before it. He said, "The National Assembly, whether Senate or the House of Representatives, cannot invite the governor on issues relating to his state. Only the state assembly has the power to invite a governor to appear before it."
Defending the Zamfara State governor, the state PDP spokesperson, Halliru Andi, said the House of Representatives may invite governors on national issues, but it was not compulsory for the governors to accept the invitation. Andi said the invitation seemed to be politically motivated rather than a legitimate constitutional step.
The Zamfara APC spokesperson, Yusuf Idris, said the invitation extended to the governor was the right move in the right direction. He said, "Going by the deteriorating nature of the security situation in Zamfara State, it is a welcome development for the members of the House of Representatives to invite the governor of Zamfara State to find lasting solutions."
Meanwhile, the nine-member parallel assembly members in Zamfara State have vowed to continue sitting, despite alleged intimidation and harassment by the government. In a statement signed by the member representing Talata-Mafara South Constituency, Aliyu Kagara, the factional assembly said its members would continue to work in the spheres of their mandate as lawmakers in the state.
