PDP accuses Zamfara CJ of conniving with state Assembly to remove dep. Gov. Gusau, threatens legal action

Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has accused the Chief Judge (CJ) of Zamfara state, Justice Halidu Tanko-Soba, of conniving with the House of Assembly in removing the deputy governor, Mahdi Gusau, from office, Wednesday.

This is also the party threatened legal action over Wednesday’s removal of the Zamfara State Deputy Governor, Mahdi Gusau, by the House of Assembly.

After months of rancor over refusal to join his principal in defecting to the All Progressives Congress (APC), Deputy Governor Gusau has been impeached by the State House of Assembly.

In a unanimous vote, House, Wednesday, impeached the deputy governor who has sowrn to remain in the now opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) despite the State Governor, Bello Matawalle defecting since last year, in a move that has rippled into a political conflict in the state.

During the plenary, 20 out 24 members of the APC-controlled House voted for the impeachment of the Deputy Governor after the report submitted by the judicial panel of investigation found him guilty of the allegations levelled against him.

The panel had Justice Halidu Tanko-Soba as Chairman, with Oladipo Okpeseyi (SAN) , as Deputy Chairman and Abdul-Atadoga Ibrahim (SAN), Hussaini Zakariyau (SAN), Amina Tanimu-Marafa , Alhaji Sani Mande and Ahmad Buhari-Rabah , as members.

The report of the panel was read by the Speaker of the Assembly Nasiru Muazu Magarya and was adopted by members of the Assembly.

The panel presented its report to the speaker which was acted upon in removing Gusau from office.

Submitting the report, Okpeseyi said the panel had done its duty with utmost integrity and diligence and had compiled the report based on the evidences it gathered in the course of its duty.

According to him, the panel is not empowered by the Nigerian Constitution to speak about its report or make it available to any person.

Okpeseyi, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), said the probe panel only produced two copies of the report and has visited the assembly complex to present the report to the speaker.

The panel, inaugurated by the Zamfara State Chief Judge, Kulu Aliyu, to investigate allegations against the deputy governor began its proceedings Monday afternoon in Gusau.

Meanwhile, Senator Muhammad Hassan Nasiha, representing Zamfara Central Senatorial District, has been nominated as the state’s new State Deputy Governor.

At the resumed plenary, the speaker of the House, Nasiru Mua’zu, read a letter from the state Governor Bello Matawalle nominating Senator Muhammad as the deputy governor of Zamfara State.

Eacting to Wednesday’s development, National Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Hon Debo Ologunagba, said the impeachment would be challenged in court.

Ologunagba also accused the Chief Judge of the state of conniving with the All Progressives Congress-led state government to impeach the Deputy Governor despite a subsisting court order.

“It is unconstitutional, it is an affront to the rule of law and democracy because there is a subsisting order of the Federal High Court, Abuja, a court of competent jurisdiction. It will not be allowed to stand.

“Even more disturbing is that the chief justice of the state, who purportedly set up the seven-man panel, ought to be the defender of the court and the rule of law. And in a case where there is a subsisting court order, the chief judge is a party to that action. And yet the chief judge was a party to the disobedience to a court order.

“We will take appropriate action to defend democracy and ensure that the rule of law stands. In the next few days, we will take action. We reject this purported impeachment,” the PDP spokesman said.