Impeachment: Zamfara Lawmakers Serve Deputy Governor Notice, List Offences

The Zamfara State House of Assembly has served Mahadi Aliyu Gusau, the deputy governor of the state, an impeachment notice.

This came on Monday, three days after the House received a request to commence impeachment process against him.

Recall that the Assembly began fresh moves to impeach the deputy governor.

The deputy speaker of the House, Musa Bawa, at Friday’s plenary, submitted a document requesting the impeachment of the deputy governor.

Mr Bawa, who is also the Chairman, House Committee on Public Account, moved a motion for the consideration of the request.

The deputy governor parted ways with Governor Bello Matatwalle after he refused to join the defecting governor and other elected officials in Zamfara to the All Progressives Congress (APC) last year.

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

The Assembly, in a statement signed by Shamsudeen Basko, House Standing Committee Chairman, has now communicated to the deputy governor through the Secretary to the State Government.

Mr Basko said, “having satisfied the requirement of Section 188 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended) which requires 1/3 of whole Honourable Members of the Honourable House to endorsed notice of impeachment.

“The House under the leadership of the Rt. Hon. Speaker accepts that particular notice as proper and in accordance with the provisions of the Law,” he said.

Mr Basko said “when in 2021 the House invited the deputy governor to appear before it, he refused to honour the invitation and instead went to court, when they had no intention of impeaching him then as being alleged”.

According to the lawmaker, the House abided by the court verdict.

In the statement, Mr Basko said the deputy governor is being accused of abusing office, criminal self enrichment using public fund and failure to discharge official duties.

He said, “Abuse of office. This includes Constitutional breached of section 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 fund; includes criminal diversion of state fund, 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.

Efforts to get the deputy governor’s reaction failed as his press secretary, Babangida Zurmi’s known phone number was unreachable.