Activities at the office of the deputy governor of Zamfara State, Barrister Mahdi Aliyu Muhammad, have been grounded following the impeachment notice served on him by the state House of Assembly over allegation of misconduct.
The deputy governor, who is the son of a former minister of Defence, General Aliyu Gusau (rtd), has been at loggerheads with the state governor, Bello Matawalle, said to be due to his refusal to decamp with the governor to the All Progressives Congress (APC) from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
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Our correspondent reports that activities at the deputy governor’s office have been at the lowest ebb since last year when the governor joined APC. It was gathered that the deputy governor has not been going to the office.
It was learnt that members of the State Assembly were emboldened by Monday’s Federal High Court judgement affirming Matawalle as the governor of the state.
Sources at the deputy governor’s office told our correspondent that he has since stopped coming to office.
“Yes, the deputy governor is aware of all that is happening and I think the decision to impeach him was emboldened by the recent court’s dismissal of the suit challenging the defection of Matawalle,” the source said.
The impeachment move was being hinged on alleged constitutional breaches, abuse of office, and financial misappropriation against the state’s No 2 citizen by the lawmakers.
They said Section 188 of the 1999 Constitution empowered them to commence the impeachment process against the deputy governor without further delay.
Meanwhile, PDP has cautioned Matawalle over what they called stoking and inducing violence in the state by orchestrating and manipulating the state House of Assembly to commence, “an illegal and undemocratic process of impeachment against the democratically elected deputy governor.”
However, the ruling APC in the state, through its Publicity Secretary, Yusuf Idris, said it is the decision of the assembly to commence the impeachment of the deputy governor and not that of the governor.
Meantime, APC has welcomed Monday’s Federal High Court judgement affirming Matawalle as the governor of Zamfara State.
Secretary of the APC Caretaker/Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee, Senator John James Akpanudoedehe, in a statement on Tuesday also hailed the judiciary for defending the constitution and popular mandate of Matawalle as governor of the state.
