The House of Representatives Committee on Public Petitions has adjourned its hearing on a petition seeking that the National Assembly take over the Benue and Zamfara State Houses of Assembly until May 28, 2025.
Naijaonpoint reports that this decision follows new developments regarding the legal proceedings surrounding the petition.
Chairman of the committee, Bitrus Laori (PDP-Adamawa), made the announcement at the resumption of the hearing on Wednesday in Abuja.
Laori explained that the adjournment was necessary as the committee had been served with court documents, which notified them that the matter was currently under judicial review.
He added that the case is currently before the Federal High Court in Makurdi, with the specific case reference being Suit No. FHC/MKD/CS/146/2025. The case was filed on May 5, 2025, and has been adjourned to May 19 for further proceedings.
Further complicating matters, Laori revealed that the leadership of the Benue State House of Assembly had written a letter to the Senate and the House of Representatives Benue Caucuses. The letter requested a meeting to discuss the ongoing issues related to the petition.
“Given the court processes and the request for dialogue from the Benue State House of Assembly leadership, the decision on whether the committee will continue sitting on the petition will be determined at the next adjourned date, May 28,” Laori stated.
The petitions stem from political crises in both the Benue and Zamfara State Houses of Assembly.
In Benue, the crisis escalated when 13 lawmakers were suspended for three months over their opposition to the removal of the state’s Chief Judge, Justice Maurice Ikpambese.
The judge had been accused of gross misconduct and corruption, which sparked widespread division within the assembly.
In Zamfara, tensions deepened in February 2024 when 10 lawmakers were suspended for allegedly convening an illegal plenary session.
The suspended members included four from the All Progressives Congress (APC) and six from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
This led to a power struggle within the assembly, with two lawmakers—Bilyaminu Moriki and Bashar Gummi—each claiming the speakership.
The situation worsened as the Gummi-led faction held a parallel sitting, where they allegedly impeached Moriki. In retaliation, the Moriki-led faction suspended 10 members aligned with Gummi, declaring the impeachment invalid and accusing the faction of conducting an illegal session.
The crises in both states were at the heart of the petition presented before the committee. However, the invited governors and speakers of the affected State Houses of Assembly were absent from the session.
Despite their absence, the petitioners were present at the hearing. The Guardians of Democracy and Rule of Law, represented by their lawyer Emmanuel Onwudiwe, as well as the suspended members of the Benue and Zamfara State Houses of Assembly, attended the session.