Niger Assembly halts meetings over issues with the executive

The Niger State House of Assembly stopped all meetings indefinitely on Tuesday. They said this was due to "unresolved issues" with the state government's executive arm.

The decision came after Mohammed Abubakar-Kabir, who represents Chanchaga Constituency and is known as Ustaz, moved for the Assembly to pause all work until the "unresolved issues" with the executive are sorted out.

Ustaz did not explain what these unresolved issues were. He told the House that future generations would judge them if they let important matters with the executive go unaddressed.

He also said current lawmakers must act to protect the independence of the legislative arm.

Abdulrahman Gambo, who represents Borgu Constituency, seconded the motion.

Jibrin Ndagi-Baba, from Lavun Constituency, then proposed a counter-motion. He argued that it was unnecessary to stop the day’s work over problems with the executive.

The debate got heated, with many members pushing for the House to suspend plenary. The arguments nearly turned into chaos.

The Speaker, Abdulmalik Sarkindaji, stepped in to calm everyone down and asked for respect for different views. After some back-and-forth, the Speaker called for a vote on the motion.

Those in favor of suspending plenary won the vote. As a result, the House suspended plenary indefinitely. They then went into an executive session to discuss the "unresolved issues."