With just three weeks to go to the end of this dispensation, some state houses of assembly are making moves to commence impeachment proceedings against their state governors.
In Niger, Katsina and Enugu, a sizeable number of lawmakers are sufficiently displeased with certain actions of their governors – Babangida Aliyu, Ibrahim Shema and Sullivan Chime respectively – and have decided to remove them from office.
The situation is similar in Ekiti, even though Gov Ayo Fayose seems to have successfully crossed that hurdle now.
In Niger State, preparatory to commencement of impeachment against Gov Aliyu, the lawmakers have already impeached the speaker, Barrister Usman Adamu, and three other principal officers.
The impeachment of the speaker yesterday by 19 of the 27 members was done under heavy security presence. They thereafter unanimously elected Hon Isah Kawu as the new speaker and also elected other new principal officers who were sworn in by the clerk.
The impeached speaker meanwhile is protesting his removal, insisting that his colleagues violated a court order restraining them from taking action.
He alleged that the target was to serve Governor Aliyu an impeachment notice because the governor has not given overhead and constituency allowances since the beginning of this fiscal year.
“As far as I am concerned, I am still the speaker and the impeachment is null and void. I have not been accused of financial misappropriation; it is because the executive has not released overheads since the beginning of the year. Don’t be surprised that impeachment notice is served on the governor of Niger State tomorrow; the governor should be prepared,” he said.
Meanwhile in Katsina, 15 members of the Katsina State House of Assembly have threatened to commence impeachment proceedings against the governor, Ibrahim Shema on allegations of poor handling of state’s finances among other impeachable offences.
Spokesman of the 15 members, Danlami Kurfi (APC,Kurfi) told newsmen in Katsina that Shema engaged in spending of public funds without recourse to laid-down procedures.
Kurfi said the assembly members were determined to find answers to expenditures that included the N33 billion local government funds, selling of state houses in Katsina and Abuja, and SURE-P vehicles by the state government.
He accused the governor of failing to present audited state finance report to the state assembly as required by law, insisting that the move by the House was to ensure that things are done in line with the provisions of the constitution.
He stressed that some of the legislators, comprising mostly those that defected to the APC and some others aggrieved within the PDP, had met and were set to serve the governor an impeachment notice.
“If we have erred before then it is now time to correct our past deeds by ensuring the truths is told to all Katsina people with true state of finances of the state, We are to write to him this next week notice of impeachment,” he said.
Lastly we have been reporting about the battle between Gov Sullivan Chime and the Enugu assembly.
Yesterday the governor described the lawmakers as “shameless” and explained his own version of why they were he’ll bent on impeaching him.
So what do you make of all these moves to impeach considering that they are all ultimately futile considering the short time left in the current dispensation?