From Mika’il Tsoho, Dutse
The Garki local government council’s lawmakers in Jigawa state has decried violation of the constitution and accused the speaker Jigawa state house of Assembly, Rt. Honourable Haruna Aliyu Dangyatin for denying their rights.
The councillors also accused the the house for breach of constitutional provisions and violating supreme Court rule on local government autonomy.
The councillors made accusations for allege the speaker’s role illegal interfering to the local government council appearance and forcing the local council’s legislatures to accept and reinstate the impeached speaker of the council despite their constitutional decision of his removal and immediate replacement with other.
Speaking to news men, some councillors through their mobile telephones, they described the actions of the speakers as clear contravening the Nigerian constitution and violations of the Supreme Court rule on local government autonomy.
According them “what happened in Garki local government and actions by the speaker of the state house of Assembly is a serious threats to democracy and illegal interfering in to the local government council provide in the Nigerian constitution”.
“The Nigerian constitution has crealy defined the role each of the three tiers of governments, their power 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”.
“the issues is that we are the judicially dully elected Garki local government councillors. We have power by the constitution to elect our leader (Speaker) which we did. The same constitution gave us the power to remove him (speaker) on a constitution’s approved offenses through the constitution guidelines and approved processes”.
“Knowing these. Due to some offenses by our speaker under which constitution gave us power to remove him, which includes total sum missioned of the legislatures to the local executives. Since we were elected for over a year now we never held a council session even one time. We never for ones discussed any issues, any matters that needs our approval empowered by the constitution especially of Garki local council financial spendings, contact awards and payment, no formation of any committee at local council, inspection of projects for assessment and monitoring under oversight duties and many other things”.
“So base on this we called on the speaker to draw the attention of the local government council chairman for due process. He (Speaker) said he is afraid of the chairman on the council anger. So met and seven of us agreed and signed his removal and replaced him. But to our grated surprise and the speaker horrodilly semon is to his resident in the mid of the night intimidated and directed us to returns the speaker we impeached”.
They all expressed worries and did appointment to the speaker of the state Assembly and trespassing in to their constitutional jurisdiction, “we all condemned it”.
When contacted by the reporters, the state the speaker Jigawa state house of Assembly, Rt Hon Haruna Aliyu Dangyatin for his reaction on the allegations to prove abortive as all calls put to his mobile phone not answered and the text message sent to him is not replied up to the time of filing this report.
But on last Saturday, the Jigawa house of Assembly through the chairman House committee on information, Ibrahim Hashimu Kanya said the state house of Assembly has quashed the impeachment of the Garki local government council’s speakers, Hon. Jamilu Adamu by the councillors of the local government council on Friday.
According to the chairman House committee on information the councilors impeachment is not in order and it’s contravene the law.
He advised them to be contacting the state house of Assembly before taking a such decision.
Also contacted a prominent and season lawyer barrister Baffa Alhassan on the matter said “though the local government laws is changing time to time. But with recent supreme court rules on local government council autonomy, the Jigawa state house of Assembly has no power to interfere on the local government council finances and administration”.
According to the barrister Baffa Alhassan “with the supreme Court rule on local government council autonomy, the councillors has power on any thing at local council. For example, now state house of Assembly has no right to remove local government council chairman, it is the responsibility of the councillors. Any council chairman needs to be removed most do by the councillors. So also they have the right to remove their speakers if found guilty of the impeachable offences”.
