By
Managing Editor
_____________________
Indication emerged that the crises rocking the Zamfara state House of assembly has deepened as (8) out of the (24) members orders for the closure of the house for a two-week recess.
According to an insider in the state House of assembly, the forum of the (17) members consisting of those from the ruling PDP and that of the APC allegedly ganged up against the leadership of the house, arguing that unless the condition of the people of Zamfara has improved they may likely not going to cooperate with the executive arm of the government led by Governor Dauda Lawal.
A few weeks back, the same forum of the (17/ lawmakers protested against the executive Governor and leadership of the state House of assembly over the deteriorating condition of the lawmakers and threatened to appoint a speaker pro tempo if the Speaker did not pursue the Governor to look into their wellbeing.
They also threatened to reject any executive communication from the Governor pending when he attends to their demands.
They specifically threatened not to screen and confirm the nominees for the posts of Commissioners, which were to be sent a few days before their protests.
The same time, members raised alarm over the alarming rate of civil servants not paid their two months salaries together with the entitlements of the pensioners in the state.
They lamented that, the executive Governor has refused to release their monthly cash allocation, which is about sixty million naira for the running of the state House of assembly and funding for the activities of the standing committees.
This medium gathered that as a result of the intense pressure, the Governor was able to settle all the entitlements as requested by the lawmakers, including the monthly cash allocation that is due for the members.
THE RECENT FACE-OFF
This medium gathered that the recent face-off between the members and the executive arm led by Governor Dauda Lawal started when the group of (17) members of the state House of assembly ganged up again and decided to challenge the Governor that he needs to sit up and address the governance crisis rocking the state.
A member who spoke to the managing editor of this medium on condition of anonymity said (17) of the members had demonstrated their dissatisfaction with the way the Governor is running the state and decided to raise alarm by making sure that the house is closed until when the lawmakers are convinced that things are put in their normal shape.
He added that when the speaker and other principal officers noticed that the other group are taking steps ahead of them, they decided to come to the house on Wednesday to hold a session without mincing the fact that they did not make a quorum and order for the closure of the house for two weeks.
The lawmaker added that having realized that the speaker and his co-travellers feared the fact that the remaining seventeen members were waxing stronger, they ensure that they brought armed security agents to take over the house of assembly complex and block the lawmakers from having access to the house of assembly complex.
He emphasized that the closure of the house has no connections with the refusal of the Governor Dauda Lawal to pay the lawmakers their entitlements as insinuated over the social media, but it was as a result of demonstration of the anger of the factional lawmakers over the way the Governor is running the affairs of the state.
THE CLOSURE OF THE HOUSE AND CONFIRMATION OF PERMANENT COMMISSIONERS IS ILLEGAL
The lawmaker told the managing editor that the closure of the state House of assembly by the eight out of the twenty-four lawmakers is illegal.
He said though the house standing rule envisaged that once a quorum is made, a decision can be taken, in the case of the current situation in Zamfara quorum can only be made when there are eight out of the twenty-three members, since the Speaker has no vote.
“In the last sitting on Wednesday, eight of them sat, including the speaker, so they did not make a quorum because the remaining seventeen members had been with the splinted forum.
He added that even the screening and confirmation of the permanent commissioners for anti-corruption made by the eight members is illegal going by the house rules because the required number to make a quorum which is 1/3 of the total number of the legislature is eight against seventeen since speaker does not have a vote.
PDP MEMBERS MEETS PARTY LEADERSHIP TO RESOLVE THE LINGERING ISSUES
This medium gathered that, following the current face-off, the party leadership has invited the PDP members for a dialogue.
The lawmaker said, after the meeting with the party, the seventeen of them are going to meet at their forum with their colleagues from the APC to still chart the way forward.
He insisted that, the meeting with the party leadership may not will change their position because what they are doing is for the overall interest of the people of the state.
“Even the party is not happy with the Governor on the way he is running the affairs of the state and if things continue like this we know people will cast their anger on us, so we have to align ourselves with the masses.
SEVENTEEN MEMBERS OF THE FORUM ARE GOING TO MEET OVER THE NIGHT TO DISCUSS THE WAY FORWARD.
The lawmaker interviewed by the Managing Editor insisted that after the meeting with the party, the members of the forum were going to meet to reaffirmed their position.
He said no amount of intervention will stop the forum from pressurizing the Governor to do the right thing because things are not working well in Zamfara under the current leadership of Governor Dauda Lawal.
“There is excess poverty and rising unemployment, and it seems the government has loss a sense of direction and as lawmakers we have to be up and doing to ensure that government , especially the executive arm are forced to do what is needed”.
He said, the battle line has been drawn because the Speaker and his co-travellers do not want the truth to be told because of their selfish reasons.
“The speaker is compounding issues because he does want the Governor to understand that he is driving the state in a very wrong direction and, for selfish reasons best known to him, he thinks he is helping the Governor but in all fairness we are going to redirect them”.
WHAT IS THE NEXT STEP FOR THE LAWMAKERS?
The lawmakers insisted that this time around they would not fold their hands and allow things to degenerate because the executive arms always take things for granted.
He added that the only option that will bring sanity in the system is for the Governor to ensure that he has come back and stabilize things for the betterment of the people of the state.
“This assembly will be different completely, and it is either the Governor should get it right or he will continue to face resistance from us” the lawmaker added.
