The crisis rocking the Kwara State House of Assembly escalated further on Saturday as the suspended lawmaker representing Edu State Constituency, Hon. Saba Yisa Gideon, publicly challenged his three-month suspension and leveled grave allegations against the Speaker, Rt. Hon. Salihu Yakubu Danladi, accusing the Assembly leadership of political witch-hunt, procedural abuse, and an attempt to muzzle dissent.
Hon. Gideon, who was suspended on December 18, 2025, over allegations that he secretly recorded a closed-door meeting and shared the audio with an unauthorized person, convened a press conference where he dismissed the allegation as false, misleading, and unsupported by legislative rules. He insisted that what was recorded was neither a plenary sitting nor a committee proceeding, but an informal discussion that took place in the Speaker’s personal office.
Describing his suspension as unlawful, Gideon argued that the Assembly leadership blatantly violated due process. He stated that under established parliamentary procedure, any allegation against a lawmaker must first be referred to the Committee on Ethics and Privileges for investigation and fair hearing before being debated or acted upon by the House.
“What occurred was mere gossiping in the Speaker’s right-wing personal office, and even that was based on rumours,” he said. “You cannot classify gossip in a private office as a legislative proceeding. There is no rule anywhere that allows proceedings to be held in the Speaker’s office.”
The suspended lawmaker further challenged the Assembly to produce official records to support its claims, alleging that the House has failed to conduct meaningful legislative business for over two years, including closed-session meetings and proper oversight functions. According to him, the Assembly has been reduced to little more than a rubber stamp for executive projects, devoid of independent legislative agenda.
Gideon alleged that his suspension was politically motivated and aimed at silencing him for refusing to support Speaker Danladi’s alleged 2027 governorship ambition. He said his relationship with the Assembly leadership deteriorated after he declined to align with what he described as an internal push to promote the Speaker’s political future.
“The major issue I had with them is that I refused to support the Right Honourable Speaker,” he stated bluntly.
He recounted an incident in the Speaker’s office where the House Leader, Hon. Magaji, allegedly instructed lawmakers to stand up and pray for Speaker Danladi to become governor in 2027, an instruction he said he openly rejected.
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“He asked me to stand up and pray for the Speaker to become governor. I objected. I am not God,” Gideon said.
According to him, that refusal led to his isolation within the Assembly, including his exclusion from a “secret WhatsApp group” allegedly created for 21 members to coordinate support for the Speaker’s ambition. He claimed that he and two other lawmakers were deliberately sidelined over fears of their perceived loyalty to Ambassador Yahaya Seriki and Senator Sadiq Umar.
While admitting that he recorded an audio conversation, the same recording cited in his suspension, Gideon said the action was taken in self-defense after the Speaker allegedly threatened him with recorded conversations.
“If you threaten me with recordings, I will also record you. I acted to protect myself,” he said, insisting that the Speaker initiated the practice he was later punished for.
He also accused the Speaker of breaching his privacy by disclosing personal communications to his constituents, citing an instance where a cow he bought for Christmas was allegedly publicized by the Speaker in his constituency.
On allegations that he attempted to sponsor a motion to suspend mining activities in the state, Gideon dismissed the claim as legally ignorant and politically mischievous. He referenced the Nigerian Minerals and Mining Act, 2007, which places mineral resources on the Exclusive Legislative List under federal control, stressing that state assemblies have no authority to suspend licensed mining operations.
“Mining is controlled by the Federal Government. States can only intervene on land use or security, not regulation or suspension,” he said.
Hon. Gideon further argued that the Speaker lacks the constitutional authority to suspend any lawmaker beyond 48 hours, describing his three-month suspension as excessive, illegal, and punitive.
He said his decision to speak out was to set the record straight and keep Kwarans, particularly his constituents fully informed of what he described as “the truth behind a calculated attempt to silence opposition within the Assembly.”
