An underlying political feud between the Niger State legislature and the executive exploded into the open on Tuesday, culminating in a chaotic, prematurely terminated House assembly. What was meant to be a standard legislative day quickly derailed when Chanchaga representative Mohammed Kabir, known popularly as Kabir Ustaz, stood up to halt the agenda. He successfully moved a motion to suspend all legislative business until long-standing, “unresolved issues” with the executive branch are handled.
“Posterity will judge us if we continue to sweep these issues under the carpet. We must not send the wrong signal to future legislators”, Kabir warned his colleagues, arguing that letting the tension linger would destroy the House’s hard-earned reputation.
While lawmakers quickly agreed to keep the specific details of the dispute off the public record, the motion found immediate backing from Abdulrahman Gambo of Borgu Constituency. However, it ran straight into a wall of opposition from Lavun representative Jibrin Baba, who argued that shutting down the gates right after reconvening was entirely unnecessary.
The chamber quickly dissolved into a rowdy, shouting match as the majority dug in, refusing to let day-to-day business continue under a cloud of executive friction.
Speaker Abdulmalik Sarkindaji was forced to step in, pleading for maturity and restraint. Realizing the room couldn’t be calmed by words alone, the Speaker called for a voice vote. The faction demanding a shutdown won overwhelmingly.
The House immediately cleared the gallery and went into a closed-door executive session to align their strategy before confronting the executive branch.
