Benue, the Zamfara Council rejected the representative call, accused the constitutional Nass Overreach

The Benue and Zamfara State Assembly Building has pushed back to the new call issued by the House of Representatives Committee on Public Petitions, condemning it as non -constitutional and outreach of federal authority.

The summons, dated Friday, May 3, 2025, Ordered the Governors of Benue and Zamfara States, Hyacinth Alia and Dauda Lawal Restectively, as well as their state Assembly Speakers and Principal Officers to Appear before the committee in Abuja on Thursday, May 8. The Federal Lawmakers Claimed the Appearance was necessary to determine whether the National Assembly Should Take Over Legislative Function in the two states.

But the response from the two state assemblies has been fast and firm.

In Makurdi, the Benue State Assembly Council issued a formal resolution on Tuesday which instructed the speaker, Hyacinth Dajoh, to ignore the invitation. During a hot plenary session, parliament members condemned the summons as an insult to constitutional democracy and efforts to damage the country’s legislative autonomy.

Leading the debate, the leader of the majority of the DPR when Tiseer quoted the 101 part of the 1999 Constitution, which gave the State Assembly for the Strength to regulate their own procedures without external interference.

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“The Benue State Council Council is not a subordinate of the National Assembly. This is the creation of the constitution with clear power,” said Tiseer.

Other members echoed the sentiment. MPMDoo MPs Ipusu argues that the invitation was based on a disabled petition by a group called the Guardians of Democracy. He called for a legal response to “Stopping the flooming of the country’s legislative independence.”

“We cannot allow ourselves wrongly interpreted before the state based on a political motivated petition. The National Assembly has clearly been misled,” Ipusu said.

His colleague, Peter Uche, voiced personal frustration, noting that his name appeared in the list of deferred members, although actively participated in the legislative task.

“This shows the lack of complete test. Our institution is being attacked, and we must maintain it,” Uche said.

To strengthen its position, the Benue Council has taken legal action, filed a lawsuit at the Federal High Court, Makurdi, who tried to hold the National Assembly so as not to interfere with its legislative affairs. Lawsuit, FHC/MKD/CS/45/2025, the name as the defendant of the Chairman of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas; Chairperson of the Public Petition Council Committee, Michael Etaba; House of Representatives; And the Petitioners, including Emmanuel Onwudiwe from the guardian of democracy and the Rule of Law.

In its submission, the Benue Council argues that federal legislature can only take over the function of the state in extreme conditions, such as legislative paralysis or legal and order disruption, as regulated in section 11 (4) the constitution. That confirmed that there were no such conditions in Benue.

Meanwhile, the report shows that the Zamfara State Council Council has also rejected the call.

However, unlike a benue, Zamfara might not seek compensation in court.

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