A suspended member of the Kwara State House of Assembly, which is the legislative arm of government in Kwara State, north-central Nigeria, Saba Gideon, has strongly condemned his three-month suspension, describing it as illegal, unconstitutional, and a direct violation of the democratic rights of the people who elected him to represent Edu State Constituency.
Speaking during a press conference held on Saturday, 3 January 2026, in Ilorin, the capital city of Kwara State in Nigeria, Gideon rejected allegations that he secretly recorded proceedings of the House, insisting that the accusation was false and unsupported by evidence. Okay News reports that the lawmaker addressed journalists alongside political stakeholders from his constituency and party structures.
“I never recorded any House proceedings. At no time did I secretly or otherwise record deliberations of the Kwara State House of Assembly,” he said.
Gideon argued that the decision to suspend an elected legislator amounts to denying citizens their constitutional right to representation, noting that voters in Edu Constituency were now effectively silenced in legislative affairs without lawful justification.
“The law is settled that a legislative house cannot suspend a member indefinitely or arbitrarily because doing so deprives the people of representation, which is guaranteed by the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended),” he stated.
He further clarified that the relationship between an elected legislator and the Assembly leadership is not one of subordination, stressing that his mandate was derived directly from the Nigerian Constitution and the electorate rather than from any authority within the House.
“My mandate comes from the people of Edu, not from any individual or group within the Assembly,” Gideon said.
The lawmaker also emphasized the supremacy of the Constitution, insisting that no internal rule or standing order of a legislative body can override Nigeria’s grundnorm.
“Any rule that contradicts the Constitution is null and void to the extent of its inconsistency,” he added.
Addressing the decision to withhold his salaries and allowances, Gideon argued that members of the House are not employees of the legislature and therefore cannot be subjected to punitive wage actions by the Assembly leadership.
“The fixing and payment of salaries and allowances of legislators fall under the jurisdiction of the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission, not the House of Assembly,” he said.
He cited provisions of the Legislative Houses (Powers and Privileges) Act, explaining that even where misconduct is established, the law limits suspension for contempt to a maximum of forty-eight hours.
“The Legislative Houses (Powers and Privileges) Act limits suspension of a member for contempt to a maximum of 48 hours, anything beyond that is illegal and unconstitutional,” Gideon stated.
Questioning the procedure used to suspend him, the lawmaker claimed that due process was not followed, noting that a closed-door session of the House must be properly initiated and ratified in an open plenary before any binding decision can be taken.
“No final decision, sanction or suspension can legally be taken in private without ratification in an open plenary,” he said.
According to him, allegations of misconduct should have been referred to the Ethics and Privileges Committee for investigation, allowing him the right to fair hearing before any disciplinary action.
“There was no committee investigation, no fair hearing and no supermajority vote,” he alleged.
Gideon warned that arbitrary suspensions weaken democratic institutions and set dangerous precedents for legislative governance in Nigeria.
“If we want to build strong institutions, we must respect the rules of law. Legislative independence does not mean constitutional recklessness,” he said.
He concluded by expressing confidence that the law would ultimately vindicate him, vowing to pursue all lawful avenues to reclaim his mandate.
“My fight is not personal. It is about defending the constitutional right of my people to be represented,” he said.
The Kwara State House of Assembly had earlier announced the suspension of Gideon for three months over alleged contempt and breach of legislative privilege. The Assembly accused him of secretly recording a closed-door meeting and sharing the audio with an unauthorized individual.
During plenary on Thursday, 19 December 2025, lawmakers claimed that Gideon admitted to the act when the matter was raised on the floor. The motion for his suspension was moved without prior notice by the Leader of the House, Abdulkadir Magaji, citing Order Four, Rule Fourteen of the House Rules on Privileges and Section Fourteen, Subsection Two of the Legislative Houses (Powers and Privileges) Act, 2017.
In its resolution, the House stated that the alleged recording and circulation of the meeting could bring the legislative institution into disrepute and directed the suspended lawmaker to submit a written apology within the suspension period.
