* Niger Governor Abu Sani Bello
Pita Chib,  Minna 

 Tempers rose Tuesday in Niger  State of House of Assembly as members prevented the All Progressives Congress (APC) from removing its Majority Leader.

Standing on the House rules, the legislators argued  that the party has no power to appoint and impose  principal officers for the State Legislature and that it was the sole responsibility of members of the majority party to elect  their leader.

The APC, in a letter to the Speaker of the Assembly, Honourable Ahmed Marafa, dated 12th December 2017, and signed by the state APC Chairman, Jibril Imam and read at plenary, had removed Honourable Isa Dandodo Ibrahim, as the majority leader of the House and replaced him with Honourable Nura Garba representing Kontagora II constituency.

According to the letter titled, “Re- nomination of Hon. Nura Garba, member representing Kontagora II as House Majority Leader”, the state working committee of APC has unanimously passed vote of no confidence on Honourable Isah Ibrahim, accusing him of not liaison well with the ruling party.

Having read the letter, the Speaker called on the Clerk of the House, Mohammed Kagara, to properly guide the lawmakers o the standing orders of the Assembly relating to the appointment of principal officers especially that of the House Majority leader.

According to the standing order and rules of the House, “a Majority Leader shall be a member nominated from the majority party by majority of its members”.

Our correspondent learnt that the duties of the majority leader of the House as contained in the standing order of the House do not include liaison well with the party leadership”.

The legislators, it was learnt, therefore voted in favour of the standing order / rules of the House to throw out the letter and nullified the removal of Isa Dandodo Ibrahim as the majority leader of the House.