President Tinubu has been asked to suspend all allocations to Zamfara and Benue over inactive state assemblies.
NaijaOnPoint Nigeria reports that President Bola Tinubu is facing growing calls to suspend statutory allocations to Zamfara and Benue States over the continued inactivity of their Houses of Assembly, which civil society groups say undermines constitutional democracy.
This Nigeria news platform understands that a Coalition for Democratic Governance in Africa (CDGA), in a strongly worded statement on Sunday, urged the President to take immediate action, warning that allowing governors to run states without functional legislatures amounts to “endorsing executive tyranny.”
Dr. Paul Barka, the group’s convener, said the situation in both states reflects a dangerous trend where democratic institutions are being eroded for political convenience.
“Governors ruling without legislative checks are effectively operating like dictators. This is a gross violation of the Constitution and must not be allowed to stand,” Barka stated.
The group likened the situation to the federal government’s recent action in Osun State over local government irregularities and insisted the same principle should apply to Zamfara and Benue.
CDGA described the inactive state assemblies as “rubber stamps at best and nonexistent at worst,” calling the development a “blatant abuse of power and a betrayal of the democratic mandate.”
The group has called on the National Assembly, Nigeria Governors’ Forum, and Nigerian Bar Association to weigh in urgently, warning that silence would encourage further constitutional violations across the country.
“This is not about punishing citizens, but protecting them from lawless leadership. If left unchecked, Zamfara and Benue could become case studies in executive lawlessness,” the statement read.
CDGA concluded by urging media organisations, civil society, and democratic stakeholders to support the call for immediate federal intervention and the restoration of proper governance structures in the two states.