By Mohammed Suleiman, Dutse
Quashing the impeachment of Garki local government council’s speakers, Hon. Jamilu Adamu by the councillors of the council on Friday has raised dust as to whether the State House of Assembly has the mandate by law to overuled such a decision taken by Garki Council or not.
The councillors accused the impeached speaker for violating his constitutional responsibility, disabused of office, truancy, abscondment to office without cogent reasons. Others include indiscriminate award of contracts without following due process procedures, lack of sermon council meetings, among others.
One of the Councillor who spoke on condition of anonymity said since our election into office about a year now we never held a council session even one time. We never for one time discussed any issues, nor matters that needs our approval empowered to us by the constitution on matters bordering on council financial spendings, contracts awards and payment, no formation of any committee at local council, inspection of projects for assessment and monitoring under oversight function’s among other official duties that was forwarded to us by our speaker, situation which we call for the attention of the impeached speaker for improvement all in vein actions which consumed his seat, said the Councillor.
“Before then an impeachment notice was served the impeached speaker itimising his shortfalls for defence before the Garki Council chamber but to no avail, hence our decision to called for his removal as a final decision”
According to the Councillor, ” based on the aforementioned, ealier on we called on the attention of Garki Council Chairman to called the speaker to order, unfortunately, the Chairman was afraid to confront the deposed speaker. In the alternative, we decided to call for an emergency council session attended by two third majority of the council legislatures where we all agreed and signed for the removal of our speaker and announced his replacement without further delay”.
Our Correspondent has reliably gathered that taken such a decision wasn’t augur well to the state Speaker, Rt. Hon. Haruna Aliyu Dangyatin where he surmoned all the elected councillors of Garki LGA to his residence at midnight of last Friday authorising them to re-instated the impeached Council Speaker without further delay, despite the Councillor’s right to elect or remove their speaker’s whereever found wanting.
The Councillor’s have accused the speaker Jigawa State House of Assembly, Rt. Honourable Haruna Aliyu Dangyatin for breaching constitutional provisions and violating supreme Court rule on local government autonomy.
According to them “what happened in Garki local government and action taken by the speaker of the State House of Assembly is a serious threats to democracy and illegal interferance into the local government administration which infridge the provision of the Country’s constitution.
“The Nigerian constitution has clearly defined the role of each of the three tiers of governments, their powers and jurisdiction. So also the the Nigerian law guiding documents (constitution) has defined and gave each of the power, roles and jurisdictions for three arms of government at their respective levels”.
“They said we are dully elected Garki local government councillors. We are powered by the constitution to elect our leader (Speaker) which we did. The same constitution gave us the power to remove him (speaker) on violation of constitutional obligations”.
All efforts by our Correspondent in getting the Speaker of the Jigawa State of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Haruna Aliyu Dangyatin for comment proves abortive as
all his lines were switch off.
