INSIDEPOLITICS Why another Kano Speaker came close to impeachment
Barely a year after an internal crisis in the Kano State House of Assembly cost the former Speaker, Alhaji Kabiru Alhassan Rurum, his seat, the house was on Monday last week shaken by 22 lawmakers in a fresh move to sack the incumbent Speaker, Alhaji Abdullahi Yusuf Ata.
Rurum resigned in July last year to allow the house to investigate N100million bribery allegation leveled against him and some principal officers. Following his voluntary resignation, the then Majority Leader of the House, Alhaji Abdullahi Yusuf Ata, from Fagge Local Government was elected new speaker.
However, 10 months after his assumption of office, some members in the house plotted to remove him over allegations of incompetency, arrogance, misappropriation of funds, creating divisions among lawmakers, lateness, interference in the activities of local governments and misplacement of the house’s mace.
Trouble started penultimate Sunday night when eight lawmakers and ardent loyalists of the former speaker organised themselves and started a move to remove Ata. Soon after they started the move, they wooed 14 others thereby making their number 22.
Our reporter gathered that their initial plan was to woo five additional lawmakers to their camp on the fateful Sunday to meet the 2/3 requirement and then bring the matter to the floor of the house on Monday, May 13, 2018 to actualise the impeachment.
But along the line, Speaker Ata out-smarted them. First, he sought for the quick intervention of the state governor, Dr Abdullahi Ganduje and leadership of All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state and secondly, he hurriedly suspended plenary until after Ramadan fasting.
Also, to halt the impeachment move, armed security personnel including policemen, civil defence and DSS operatives sealed off the house around 2am on Sunday with a view to preventing the aggrieved lawmakers from gaining access into the chamber the following day.
When the 22 lawmakers, led by the former speaker tried to gain access into the chamber two days after the commencement of the move to impeach Ata, they were stopped by armed security personnel.
However, the former speaker, who addressed the media at the premises of the house, announced the sacking of two principal officers of the house. The officers are the Chief Whip, Alhaji Labaran Abdu Madari and Deputy Majority Leader, Alhaji Muhammad Bello Butu-Butu. The two officers were subsequently replaced with Alhaji Abdullahi Iliyasu Yaryasa as Chief Whip and Alhaji Kabiru Hassan Dashi as Deputy Majority Leader, while Alhaji Abdulaziz Garba Gafasa was reaffirmed as Majority Leader.
Later in the night, Governor Ganduje and APC leadership waded into the crisis with a view to reconciling the aggrieved members. The two groups were summoned for an emergency meeting.
A reliable source, who attended the meeting, confided in Daily Trust on Sunday that the meeting started around 9pm Tuesday and ended on Wednesday morning. The source said the grievances of the two groups were thoroughly discussed and critical decisions were reached which resulted in a minor reshuffle in the leadership of the house.
Our correspondent gathered that based on the agreements, Ata remained as Speaker, former speaker Rurum becomes Deputy Speaker, Alhaji Mohammed Bello Butu-Butu Majority Leader, Alhaji Baffa Babba Danagundi, Chief Whip, Alhaji Sanusi Usman Bataiya, Deputy Minority Leader and Alhaji Ayuba Labaran Durum, Majority Whip.
It was also agreed that the incumbent and the former speakers should address a joint press conference the following day [Wednesday] but did not happen, as both held separate briefings even though the contents of their addresses were similar. They both appealed to their followers to remain calm and work for the progress of the house, APC and the state in general.
Speaking to Daily Trust on Sunday, the former Deputy Speaker of the House, Engineer Hamisu Ibrahim Chidari, who is the longest serving lawmaker, said he stepped down to end the leadership tussle between the 22 lawmakers and Speaker Ata.
However, findings revealed that beyond the reasons given by the aggrieved lawmakers, the move to impeach the speaker and principal officers of the house has strong connection to certain political issues affecting some lawmakers.
A lawmaker, who preferred anonymity, said one of the causes of the crisis was a move by the leadership to suspend Rurum and Muhammad Uba Gurjiya, member from Bunkure Local Government over an allegation of corruption.
The two members, he explained, were accused of collecting gratification from the owner of a quarry located in Bunkure Local Government to facilitate reopening of the company earlier shut down by the assembly.
He said, “Honourable Gurjiya brought a motion to the house alleging the activities of the firm are negatively affecting the lives of his constituents. He urged the house to take appropriate measures to address the situation. After conducting a thorough investigation, the house closed down the firm. As at the time the house ordered for the closure of the firm, some trucks belonging to Gerawa Construction Company were at the premises of the quarry loaded with gravels,” he said.
According to him, “So, the manager of the quarry ordered the drivers of the trucks to vacate the place. Unfortunately, while the trucks were leaving the premises of the company with gravels, people started filtering all sorts of rumour. Some said the management of firm has defied the directives of house and resumed production. Others accused Hon Rurum and Hon Gurjiya of collecting money from the management of the company to facilitate its reopening.”
Another reason suspected to be responsible for the impeachment move, was the just concluded APC local government congress. It was reliably gathered that the political careers of many lawmakers would be jeopardised if APC is to go by the outcome of the congress.
Having realised the dangers they might face in the future, they started making moves through the leadership of the house to change the situation before the state congresses and national convention in order to save their political future.
It was learnt that a member from Dambatta Local Government, Alhaji Hafizu Sani Dambatta, who was affected by the congress, allegedly used his influence to facilitate the suspension of the Chairman of Dambatta Local Government Area, Alhaji Idris Haruna Zago.
Although the house cited alleged mismanagement, revealing government’s secret, violation of agreement reached on local government’s secretary and refusing to swear-in elected councillors as reasons for the suspension of the chairman, findings revealed that the impeachment was done to pave way for Zago’s candidate to become chairman of the council.
It was learnt that the slots of chairman and vice chairman of Dambatta Local Government were allocated to the member House of Representatives (Dambatta/Makoda federal constituency), Alhaji Badamasi Ayuba and state lawmaker, Alhaji Hafizu Sani Dambatta respectively.
A source at the assembly hinted our correspondent that in his effort to change the arrangement to save his political career, Hon Dambatta influenced the leadership of the house to enable his candidate who was the vice chairman to take over as acting chairman.
However, the source added, Hon Ayuba on his part sought the support of the councillors in the local government and impeached the acting chairman in return.
According to the source, besides impeachment of Dambatta Local Government’s chairman, the house also had plan to remove the chairman of Gaya Local Government Area on that fateful Monday if not for the crisis that engulfed the house.
Although a timely intervention by Ganduje and APC has for now saved Speaker Ata from impeachment, how the tide will move in the next few weeks or months is still cloudy.