APC Crisis: Jigawa LG chairperson impeached

The crisis in the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in Jigawa State, on Monday, took a new dimension with the impeachment of the Chairperson of Ringim Local Government Area of the state, Shehu Sule.

The leader of the councillors, Badamasi Garba, representing Dabi Ward, announced the impeachment to journalists in Dutse, the state capital.

Mr Sule is believed to be among the nine local government chairpersons in Jigawa North-west Senatorial District, who have pitched their tent with Danladi Sankara, the senator representing the district.

Mr Sankara fell out with Governor Muhammad Badaru just before the APC primary election for the zone. The senator accused the governor of bias and subsequently pulled out of the primary.

“I resolved to withdraw from participating in the ongoing primaries of Jigawa North-west Senatorial District due to biased and preferential actions of the state party leader (Mr Badaru), Mr Sankara said in a letter addressed to the National Chairman of the Party, Abdullahi Adamu.

Mr Sankara recently held a closed-door meeting with Mustapha Lamido – the governorship candidate of the opposition People Democratic Party (PDP). The meeting between the duo has left members of the APC confused about whether the politician is planning to defect.

Nine of the 12 chairpersons of the councils that make up the North-west Senatorial district are believed to be loyal to Mr Sankara who has avoided APC gatherings and events in the state in recent months.

Why we impeached the chairperson – Council speakerMr Garba, who spoke on behalf of the councillors, explained that he signed the impeachment letter because the majority of them voted for Mr Sule’s removal.

Among the ten councillors in Ringim Local Government Area, only Tijjani Rabo, the councillor for the Sankara ward, declined to sign the impeachment letter.

The councillors in a letter accused the local government chairperson of not involving them in the award of contracts in the council area.

They listed the reasons for Mr Sule’s removal to include “lack of inclusion of the legislative in awarding contracts and payment, illegal renting partitions of local government council’s lands and farmlands and the sales of 75 corner shops at Ringim market.”

The letter said: “By the virtue of our position and power conferred upon us by the relevant provisions of the Jigawa State Local Government Law and the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended), we do hereby resolve to remove you immediately from office as chairman of Ringim local government council”.

However, the embattled council chairperson, Mr Sule, told journalists that he would respond to the impeachment letter at the appropriate time.

Earlier in May, the Chairperson of Yankwashi Local Government Area, Mubarak Ahmad, also loyal to Mr Sankara, was suspended by the Jigawa State House of Assembly after he complained about the selection of party delegates by the state governor.

The governor later rescinded the decision of the assembly to suspend the local government chairman.