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News Headlines
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Written by Ishola Michael, Bauchi
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The political crisis that engulfed Bauchi state in the last few months has deepened following the serving of impeachment notice on the Deputy Governor, Mohammed Garba Gadi by the State House of Assembly after months of words trading.The notice contains impeachable offences said to have been committed by the politically embattled Deputy Governor.
25 members of the state House of Assembly endorsed impeachment notice and the Chief Judge of the State has already set up panel of investigation. 25 of the 31 members of the House have appended their signatures to the impeachment notice which has already been served on the Deputy Governor while efforts have been intensified to get the remaining members append the
paper.
It was gathered in Bauchi that t each member who appended his signature on the paper was given Ten Million Naira ( About Eighty Thousand Dollarss with a promise for more largesse at the end of the exercise. The Money factor has already drwan away the support the deuty Governor used to enjoy in the House of Assembly.
Meanwhile the state Chief Judge, Sabo Suleiman Darazo has charged the 7 man panel set up to investigate the offences preferred
against the Deputy Governor to do a thorough job by ensuring that everything necessary in such an assignment was done before reaching a conclusion.
The Chief Judge also urged members of the panel led by a onetime Attorney General of the State, Abdul Babayo Malle to be fair to all
the parties particularly the Deputy Governor who has been accused of misconduct saying that he should and his Counsels should be allowed enough time within which to respond to all the allegations.
He also charged the members to be fearless and not allow anyone no matter his or her status to influence them into taking a wrong
decision pointing out that they should act according to their consciences but in line with the laws of the country including the constitution.
Some of the allegations against the Deputy Governor include, double collection of estacode for performing hajj; approval beyond the
limit of his office
All efforts to get the Deputy Governor, Mohammed Garba Gadi to respond to the new development proved abortive as he was said to have immediately after receiving the notice late Wednesday left Bauchi for Abuja to make political and legal implications of the development but one his top aides confirmed the development in a telephone conversation.
It would be recalled that the Deputy Governor had maintained his stance that he will remain in the ANPP and therefore refused all entreaties to him to join his boss the Governor in the ruling PDP a development that heated up the politics in the state.
Meanwhile a group from Katagum where the embattled Deputy Governor hails from has paid a solidarity visit to the House of Assembly in his support declaring that he has not done anything wrong to warrant the impeachment. They called on the House to disregard any move by the Governor to influence the impeachment because according to the group both the Governor and his Deputy were jointly elected for one mandate which they must carry together till 2011 when another general elections will hold.
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