Kwara Lawmaker: I Was Suspended for Refusing to Pray for Speaker’s Gov’ship Bid

Kwara State House of Assembly lawmaker, Hon. Saba Issa Gideon, on Sunday faulted his suspension by his colleagues, describing the action as unconstitutional, unlawful and a deliberate attempt to silence his constituents.

He said his suspension was politically motivated and linked to internal power struggles and early alignments ahead of the 2027 governorship race in the state.

Daily Trust reports that the house presided over by the Speaker Engr. Salihu Danladi-Yakubu penultimate week suspended Gideon for three months.

Gideon, who represents Edu constituency on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC), was accused of “secretly recording a private session of the House and sharing the audio with an unauthorized person” following a motion by the Leader of the House, Hon. Abdulkadir Magaji.

He was further directed to submit a written apology within the period of his suspension.

Addressing journalists on Sunday in Ilorin, Gideon alleged that 21 lawmakers in the Assembly “took an oath to support the governorship ambition of the Speaker, Engr Salihu Yakubu-Danladi.

He accused the legislature of abandoning its constitutional responsibilities and operating without any clear economic or security agenda.

Narrating what led to the incident, Gideon said he walked into the Speaker’s office that morning and met lawmakers discussing an allegation against him involving Ambassador Yahaya Seriki, an APC governorship aspirant.

“When I entered the office, I met them discussing my issue, that I told Ambassador Yahaya Seriki that the Speaker asked us to move a motion to stop his mining activities so that he would not have money to contest the election,” he said.

He denied making such a statement, describing the allegation as false and illogical.

“I told them clearly that I did not make such a conversation. The issue did not even exist. Nobody discussed any motion on mining activities,” he said.

He further argued that mining activities fall under federal jurisdiction and not the authority of the state legislature.

“The regulation of mining activities is controlled by the Federal Government, not the state. So I will not play so low as a legislator to even suggest such a motion,” he said.

Gideon said he even offered to swear by the Bible to prove his innocence, while asking the Speaker and Assembly leadership to do the same with the Qur’an.

He alleged that intimidation against him predated the suspension and was connected to his refusal to support the Speaker’s alleged governorship ambition ahead of 2027.

The lawmaker linked the crisis to internal APC alignments ahead of the 2027 governorship race, alleging pressure within the Assembly to support the Speaker’s ambition.

He said once during a briefing meeting in the Speaker’s office, the Leader of the House asked him to pray for the Speaker to become governor in 2027.

“He asked me to stand up and pray in Christian faith that the Right Honourable Speaker should become governor. The way I prayed did not go down well with them and the speaker stood and was furious that the way I prayed was not the way to do it and rather I should be specific by mentioning his name to become governor in 2027. But I objected and said I am not God. God knows our mission,” he said.

According to him, his refusal angered some lawmakers.

He alleged that 21 members later formed a private WhatsApp group to coordinate support for the Speaker’s ambition, excluding three members, including himself.

“They told us openly that they have their own private group because of the Speaker’s ambition and that is why three of us were excluded,” he said.

Gideon said the exclusion and what he described as intimidation forced him to record conversations to protect himself.

“When 21 people have already concluded and formed an allegation against you, who are you to defend yourself? That was why I felt I needed a record so that I could defend myself,” he said.

He denied having any disagreement with the state governor and dismissed claims that he was acting against the executive.

“I don’t have any problem with the governor. Any statement suggesting that the governor gave instructions on who to relate with was made on their own,” he said.

Gideon said he would consult with his constituents to determine the next line of action, including whether to challenge the suspension in court.

On the legislature, the embattled lawmaker, accused the House of failing in its oversight responsibilities for more than three years.

“There is no economic or security agenda, despite the level of insecurity in the state.

“We have not even gone for oversight functions for over three years now. What keeps us busy in the Assembly is the work, the bills, everything the governor brings”, he said.

Efforts to get reactions from the Assembly leadership were unsuccessful as several calls placed to the Speaker on Sunday did not connect. Calls to his media aide were also not picked.

Similarly, the House Chairman on Information, Hon. Ruqayat Shittu, did not respond to repeated calls made to her on the issue.

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