At the Niger State House of Assembly on Tuesday, lawmakers voted to suspend plenary indefinitely over what they described as “unresolved issues” between the legislature and the executive arm of government.

The decision followed a motion moved by the member representing Chanchaga Constituency, Abubakar Ustaz, shortly after the House commenced sitting. He urged lawmakers to suspend legislative proceedings until all outstanding issues with the executive were adequately addressed.

According to Ustaz, history would judge the Assembly harshly if it continued to overlook critical matters affecting the institution’s relationship with the executive.

He argued that allowing such issues to remain unresolved would send the wrong message to future legislators and undermine the legacy of previous assemblies.

Although the lawmaker sought to outline the unresolved issues on the floor of the House, he was prevented from doing so after members agreed that the matter should instead be discussed during an executive session.

The motion was seconded by the member representing Borgu Constituency, Abdulrahman Gambo.

However, the member representing Lavun Constituency, Jibrin Ndagi Baba, opposed the motion, arguing that there was no justification for suspending plenary after the House had already reconvened to transact its legislative business.

The differing positions quickly sparked a heated debate, with several lawmakers insisting that the House could not continue sitting until the issues with the executive were resolved.

As tensions escalated, Speaker Abdulmalik Sarkin-Daji intervened, appealing to members to remain calm, demonstrate maturity and respect one another’s opinions.

Following extensive deliberations, the Speaker directed that the motion be put to a vote. The majority of lawmakers voted in favour of suspending plenary.

The Assembly subsequently resolved to adjourn its sittings indefinitely and proceed into an executive session, where members are expected to deliberate on the unresolved issues and adopt a unified position to be communicated to the executive arm of government.

The nature of the unresolved issues was not disclosed to journalists.

The development comes just days after the ruling party concluded its primary elections, during which only 12 of the Assembly’s 26 APC lawmakers secured tickets to contest the 2027 general election through a consensus arrangement.