The Zamfara house of assembly has announced the service of
an impeachment notice on Mahdi Aliyu Gusau, deputy governor of the state.
Shamsudeen Hassan, chairman of the house standing committee
on information, announced the development at a media briefing on Monday.
The house had, on February 4, announced the commencement of
an impeachment process against the deputy governor following the presentation
of a formal request to the speaker.
Speaking on the development on Monday, Hassan said the house
had served the notice in line with the provision of section 188 of the 1999
constitution (as amended).
Section 188 of the 1999 constitution states that impeachment
proceedings against a governor or deputy governor of a state on the grounds of
“gross misconduct” may begin, following an “allegation in writing” signed by at
least one-third of the members of the house of assembly.
Speaking at the briefing, Hassan said the allegations
against the deputy governor include “insubordination, abuse of office, and
criminal self-enrichment”.
“Members of this honourable house, on the discharge of their
constitutional duties, formally served the right honourable speaker of the
Zamfara state house of assembly with the impeachment notice of his excellency,
the deputy governor, in person of barrister Mahdi Aliyu Mohammed Gusau, from
the office of the deputy governor of Zamfara state, on allegation of serious
gross misconduct,” he said.
“Today, being the 7th
day of February, 2022, I, Shamsudeen Hassan Talata Mafara, chairman of the
house standing committee on information, present to you the official position
of the Zamfara house of assembly.
“The speaker received the notice of the impeachment of the
deputy governor from office, having satisfied the requirement of section 188 of
the 1999 constitution (as amended) which requires one-third of the members of
the house to endorse notice of impeachment.
“The house, under the leadership of right honourable Nasiru
Muazu Magarya, accepted the notice as proper and in accordance with the
provision of the law.
“The speaker, in conformity with status, has duly served the
deputy governor, through the secretary to the state government. For avoidance
of doubt, on no account whatsoever did this house prior to the 4th of February,
2022, initiate or even intend to initiate impeachment proceedings against the
deputy governor.
“However, sometime in
2021, in the month of July or thereabouts, the house officially invited the
deputy governor under the provisions of section 128 and section 129 of the 1999
constitution (as amended).
“The deputy governor mischievously approached the federal
high court in Abuja, alleging that the house is in the process of impeaching
him. The court, in its wisdom, ordered maintenance of status quo by both
parties on the matter. This gave the deputy governor the right to perform all
functions of a deputy governor and not honour the invitation of the house. The
house, as an institution of law and order, obeyed that court order.
“The allegations against the deputy governor are: abuse of
office which include constitutional breach of sections 190 and 193, subsections
1 and 2, paragraphs a, b and c of the 1999 constitution (as amended); criminal
self-enrichment using public funds; and failure to discharge constitutional
duties, which gave rise to insubordination.”
The deputy governor is yet to speak on the development, but
the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) had, on February 5, warned against the move
to impeach the deputy governor, describing the action as “illegal” and “a
recipe for crisis”.
Meanwhile, in July 2021, Bello Matawalle, governor of
Zamfara, had said he would not tolerate any disrespect or insubordination from
his deputy.
Both men fell out after Matawalle defected to the All
Progressives Congress (APC) from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in June
2021.
Aliyu has, however, remained in the PDP.
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