Real reasons elder statesman, Bello Kirfi, was sacked as Wazirin Bauchi

Fresh facts have emerged as to why the Bauchi Emirate Council sacked an elder statesman, Alhaji Muhammadu Bello Kirfi, as a council member and Wazirin Bauchi.

The council hinged his sack on what it described as disloyalty and disrespect toward the state governor.

However, sources told our correspondent that the sack was politically motivated.

Daily Trust reports that this is the second time that Kirfi would be sacked as Wazirin Bauchi. He was suspended in 2017. However, on August 5, 2020, he was reinstated. It was gathered that the Bauchi governor, Bala Mohammed, facilitated his reinstatement.

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Bello Kirfi, who served as minister of state for Foreign Affairs in the late President Shehu Shagari’s government and also minister of Civil Service Matters during the regime of former President Olusegun Obasanjo, is a staunch supporter of the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

It was gathered that Kirfi had last week held a stakeholders’ meeting at his residence in Bauchi, where he directed his lieutenants, drawn from across the state, to come out and mobilize for Atiku only.

The sack letter:

The sack letter, signed by the secretary of the emirate council, Alhaji Shehu Mudi Muhammad, reads: “I am directed to refer to a letter received from the Ministry of Local Government Affairs with reference No: MLG/LG/S/72/T dated 30th December, 2022. The content of the said letter indicated your disloyalty and disrespect to the Executive Governor of the state and the government. It is therefore directed for your removal with immediate effect.

“In view of the above, you are hereby removed from office as Wazirin Bauchi and also as a council member of Bauchi Emirate. I wish you the best in all your future endeavours.”

But a source in  Kirfi’s family, who did not want to be named, told Daily Trust that the crisis started last year when the governor indicated interest in contesting the presidential election under the PDP and consulted Kirfi.

It was gathered that Kirfi advised him to shelve his ambition and allow Atiku to contest for the PDP ticket.

The source said the governor was not happy with the advice, hence, a frosty relationship ensued.

He added that during Kirfi’s meeting with stakeholders from the 20 LGAs of the state last month, he told them he had not made up his mind on who to support for the governorship election in the state.

“He asked the stakeholders to vote for Atiku in the presidency and he was asked to give direction on the governorship election, he said he has not decided,” the source said.

Bello Kirfi is one of the major gladiators in the PDP in Bauchi State and is said to have played a key role in the election of the state governor in 2019.

Because of his contribution to his victory, it was gathered that Bala Mohammed rewarded Kirfi by appointing his son, Barrister Yakubu Bello Kirfi, as commissioner of Justice and Attorney General of the state.

When Yakubu was dropped from the cabinet, the governor appointed Kirfi’s daughter, Saadatu Bello Kirfi, as commissioner of Cooperatives, Small and Medium Enterprises Development.

Following the sack of her father, Saadatu resigned from the cabinet. Her resignation was contained in a letter addressed to the governor yesterday.

Efforts to get the reaction of Kirfi were not successful as he was said to be abroad.

Also, efforts made to get the reaction of the governor through his spokesman, Mukhtari Gidado, yielded no results as he did not pick up his calls or reply to a text message sent to him.

Also, the senior special assistant to the governor on Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Hassanu Yunusa Guyaba, resigned from his appointment. 

The Deputy State Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Bala Hadith, also resigned from his appointment. None of them has given reasons for their resignation yet.