Zamfara 2025 budget proposal illegal, APC alleged

From Ibrahim Sidi Muh’d, Gusau

The Zamfara State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has expressed shock over the alleged highest level of disregard to the nation’s constitution as displayed by Governor Dauda Lawal, his executive and the state legislature in the presentation and receipt of the 2025 budget proposal.
In a statement issued by the Zamfara State Publicity Secretary of the APC, Malam Yusuf Idris,said the illegality that accompanied the budget presentation at the State House of Assembly has appeared most embarrassing to the state government and to the entire people of the state.
The statement alleged that, a state annual budget proposal presentation event is usually done openly for the entire world to see, know and possibly comment or contribute to the way and manner public tax payers’ money will be utilized by the government in the incoming year.
It read in part: ‘’While planning to spend over N545 billion, Governor Dauda and his stooges cowardly decided to hide themselves in the hollowed chamber of the state assembly to cook up in secrecy how they intend to perfectly perpetrate their hidden agenda.
‘’To do this, the government, in collaboration with some bad security personnel, shielded everyone, especially the media, from covering the presentation and by implication denying the public knowledge or access to the budget.
‘’The legislature had ahead of the presentation decided to suspend nine out of the 24 member state assembly who were suspected to possibly challenge the document during and after presentation so that the process would go unchallenged.
‘’This development plus the refusal of the member representing Kaura Namoda to participate in the unholy presentation left the assembly unfortunately for Governor Dauda’s proponents with less than two thirds members who cannot constitutionally pass any bill and therefore nullifying and voiding the action.
‘’Even the 14 members that remained in the assembly were said to have dropped to eight according to one media source, therefore, the APC is calling on the Governor, the state government and the state House of Assembly to immediately reverse the charade done Thursday as well as apologize to the people in their own interest or we will seek legal redress by dragging them to court.
‘’We are appealing to the nation’s anti corruption agencies especially the EFCC and ICPC to investigate the total abuse of financial regulations by the Governor’s cabal to perpetuate illegality in our dear state.
‘’Throughout the country, at this moment, there’s no state assembly that has suspended about half of its members even the crisis in Rivers state cannot be compared to the happenings in our dear state where eight members were suspended at a go since February 2024.
‘’Under the House Standing Rules, you can only suspend a member for not more than two weeks, which is equivalent to eight legislative days, thus making this one a gross violation, moreso when the affected members have not been receiving their salaries and allowances nor where they were given fair hearing to appear before the house Ethics and Privileges Committee over the matter for which they were suspended and without recourse to the fact that their respective constituencies are not represented at crucial decisions like the annual budget for ten months now’’.