JUST IN: Zamfara Assembly impeaches deputy governor

JUST IN: Zamfara Assembly impeaches deputy governor

The Zamfara State House of Assembly has impeached the state’s deputy governor, Mahadi Ali.

This is coming barely three hours after the House received the report of the investigative panel constituted by the state’s chief judge, Kulu Aliyu.

It was reported that the Assembly started a process to impeach the deputy governor.

Eighteen members of the House had voted for the impeachment move, following which the Chief Judge of the state inaugurated an Investigative panel to probe the deputy governor.

In a press briefing, however, Mr Ali lashed at the members for going ahead with the move despite court order.

The spokesperson of the House, Mustapha Jafaru, confirmed the impeachment to Premium Times but asked this reporter to wait for his statement on the development.

A total of 20 members were present at Wednesday sitting of the Assembly and they all voted in support of the impeachment.

The House has 24 members and requires at least 18 of them voting to remove the deputy governor from office.

The Speaker of the House, Nasiru Magarya, said the investigative panel found the deputy governor guilty of the charges against him.

Earlier on Wednesday, the investigative panel set up by the the state’s Chief Judge, Mr Aliyu to investigate allegations against Mr Ali presented its report to the state House of Assembly.

The House’s spokesperson, Mr Jafaru, disclosed this in a statement, Wednesday afternoon.

The chairman of the panel, Justice Haladu Tanko, said the committee demonstrated professional excellence and due delligence in the conduct of the assignment.

He commended the prosecution counsel for following due diligence and ethics of the law profession in the course of the proceedings.

Mr Tanko had urged the legislature to carefully study the report and act in accordance with the law.

Responding, the Speaker, Mr Magarya, had commended the chairman and members of the committee for the job and promised to look clause by clause at the report in accordance with section 188 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended).

Members of the judicial investigation panel were Oladipo Okpeseyi (SAN) as the vice -chairman, Abdul Ibrahim (SAN) and Hussaini Zakariya’u (SAN).

Others are Ahmad Buhari Rabah, Amina Tanimu Marafa and Sani Mande. Umar Asho Tsafe served as the secretary.

Mr Ali had declined invitation to appear before the panel, saying he had taken the state House of Assembly to court over the move to remove him from office.

Rift over defection

The deputy governor had parted ways with Governor Bello Matatwalle after he refused to join the defection to the APC.

They had all taken their offices on the platform of the PDP after the Supreme Court disqualified candidates of the APC, who had been declared winners in the 2019 elections.

The House had served Mr Ali the impeachment notice through the Secretary to the State Government before asking the Chief Judge to constitute an investigative panel to verify the allegations against the deputy governor.

‘Offences’

The House, through its Chairman, House Standing Committee, Shamsudeen Basko, said Mr Ali was accused of three offences.

These are “abuse of office, criminal self-enrichment using public funds and failure to discharge official duties.”

Mr Basko said: “Abuse of office. This includes Constitutional breach of sections 190 and 193 (1), (2) (a)(b)(c), of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended).

“Criminal self-enrichment using public funds; includes criminal diversion of state funds, conspiracy to defraud the state and approval of dubious retirement in his office.

“Failure to discharge constitutional duties, which give rise to insubordination,” he added.