The eight suspended members of Zamfara state House of Assembly has decried alleged harassment by security operatives and bullying by political thugs.
The affected lawmakers who made this known at a press conference in Zaria Sunday described the recent development as illegal and flagrant infringement on their legislative immunity.
The leader of the group, Bashir Aliyu, who represents Gummi 1 constituency, e stated that the affected members were illegally suspended and harassed for exposing high level of insecurity in the state and the prolonged absence of the speaker and his deputy from the state.
However, to align themselves with constitutional provisions and yearnings for peace in the state ravaged by insecurity, 8 out of 24 state assembly members were suspended.
Aliyu further alleged in a twist of event that political thugs suspected to be loyalists of Speaker Bilyamin Moriki attacked some of the suspended members at the deputy governor daughter’s wedding on February 24.
He also alleged that a joint team of police and civil defense armed with sophisticated weapons were tracing the suspended members at their various houses with a view to arrest them which made them to go into hiding.
“This is infringement of our legislative immunity. We were served letters reference No. ZMHA/ADM/223/Vol. 1 dated March 7, 2024 instructing us to return official vehicles given to us to the office of the Clerk of Assembly within seven days.
“We want to notify that democracy was in danger in our dear sympathetic state despite insecurity and poverty and other challenges bedeviling the state, hence the call for the intervention of key stakeholders to salvage the situation,” the embattled lawmaker said.
