WorldStage Newsonline– Gov. Hyacinth Alia of Benue State has rejected the House of Representatives Committee invitation scheduled for Thursday, May 8.
His Chief Press Secretary, Mr Tersoo Kula, confirmed to journalists in Makurdi that stated that the invitation was unconstitutional and the governor will not comply with it.
The House had summoned the Governors of Benue and Zamfara, alongside their Assembly leadership.
Kula explained that Alia has filed a case at the Supreme Court challenging the lawmakers’ invitation.
“Yesterday, the Benue Assembly passed a resolution rejecting the Reps Committee invitation.
“They believe the invitation is based on ignorance and have decided not to attend. They will also challenge it in court,” he said.
Kula added that the governor, independently, has approached the Supreme Court to challenge the invitation’s legality.
He said, “Since the matter is in court, I will not speak further on it.”
Kula also claimed that the civil society group behind the petition is faceless and unregistered.
According to him, the address on the group’s letterhead is fake and lacks credibility.
He said there is a coordinated campaign of misinformation and sponsored protests aimed at destabilising Benue.
In recent weeks, he noted, there have been protests in Abuja allegedly representing Benue people’s concerns.
“These protests aim to provoke a state of emergency in Benue by portraying it in a negative light,” he said.
He claimed the organisers seek to undermine progress and return to a failed political order.
“Their ultimate goal is to create chaos for selfish political gain,” Kula added.
He accused the protest sponsors of trying to remove the governor through disruptive means.
“They will not succeed. Benue people stand firmly with their governor,” he said.
He assured the public that Benue remains peaceful and the government is functioning effectively.
“Governor Alia is committed to fulfilling his mandate and addressing the state’s challenges,” he said.
SPEAKERS
In a similar development, the Conference of Speakers of State Legislatures of Nigeria (CSSLN) on Tuesday rejected summons issued by the House of Representatives Committee on Public Petitions to the Speakers of the Benue and Zamfara State Houses of Assembly.
The CSSLN conveyed its position in a statement issued by its Chairman, Mr Adebo Ogundoyin.
The summons are reportedly based on a petition by a civil society organisations, “Guardians of Democracy’ and “The Rule of Law.”
The conference’, however, described the summon as an overreach of constitutional authority and a direct challenge to Nigeria’s federal structure and the autonomy of state legislatures as enshrined in the 1999 Constitution.
The statement noted that a formal letter of objection had been sent to the committee.
According to the CSSLN, the investigative and oversight powers of the National Assembly, as outlined in Sections 88 and 89 of the Constitution, are limited strictly to matters within the federal jurisdiction.
It stressed that state legislatures were independent arms of government, and their presiding officers “cannot be summoned over internal legislative matters unless a clear constitutional or federal issue is involved.”
“The Speakers of the Benue and Zamfara State Houses of Assembly have independently written to express strong constitutional objections to the summons.
“They affirmed that the issues raised are strictly domestic and fall outside the National Assembly’s oversight jurisdiction,” the statement said.
The conference further warned that any attempt to undermine the constitutional independence of state assemblies could set a dangerous precedent, potentially weakening democratic governance at the sub-national level.
The CSSLN urged the national assembly to respect the principles of separation of powers and mutual institutional regard, while reaffirming its commitment to transparency, accountability, and the rule of law across all levels of government.
