The House of Representatives Committee on Public Petitions has summoned Governors Hyacinth Alia of Benue State and Dauda Lawal of Zamfara State, along with the leadership of both states’ Houses of Assembly, to appear before it on Thursday, May 8.
This was revealed in a statement issued on Friday by the committee’s Head of Media, Chooks Oko.
The summons is in response to a petition submitted by the civil rights group, Guardians of Democracy and Rule of Law, calling on the National Assembly to assume the legislative responsibilities of the two state assemblies due to worsening insecurity.
According to the statement, the committee is seeking explanations from both the executive and legislative arms of the affected states as to why the House of Representatives should not invoke its constitutional powers to take over their functions.
Committee Chairman Mike Etaba, who personally signed the summons, emphasized that the invited parties are already familiar with the details of the case.
“Our duty is to ensure that the rule of law is upheld at all times,” Etaba said. “This hearing offers the parties a fair opportunity to present their positions transparently, so Nigerians can understand the situation. Anarchy will not be tolerated in our democratic process.”
