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News Headlines
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Written by Ishola Michael, Bauchi
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Bauchi State Chief Judge, Sabo Suleiman Darazo has reconstituted the Panel that will investigate the impeachable offences against the Deputy Governor few days after the initial panel constituted and inaugurated by the CJ was dissolved by the House of Assembly for what was described as ‘a breach of the constitutional provision’ on matters of impeachment.
While inaugurating the Panel yesterday at the State High Court Complex, Sabo Suleiman Darazo charged the new Panel to ensure that a thorough job was done as well as ensure that all the parties involved in the issue were given fair hearing so that at the end of the exercise, no ill-feeling or marginalization will be expressed by all saying, “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 the Panel was however not given any time frame within which to complete the assignment.
Some of the allegations against the Deputy Governor include, double collection of estacode for performing hajj; approval beyond the limit of his office.
In his response, the Panel Chairman, Abdul Babayo Malle assured that every member will do his best in ensuring that fairness, equity and justice prevailed in the discharge of their function pointing out that every detail of the offences and the response by the Deputy Governor will be investigated thoroughly so that a conclusive fair result will be achieved.
Abdul Babayo Malle then appealed to all those who will appear before the Panel must especially lawyers to ensure that they did not create unnecessary so that the Panel will be able to complete its assignment within the constitutional time frame and turn in its report to the CJ for onward presentation to the House which will them call for debate.
Meanwhile the state chapter of the opposition ANPP has called on the State office of INEC to declare the seats of the sixteen members of the State House of Assembly who decamped from the party and joined the ruling PDP vacantand immediately organize and fresh election to fill the vacancies.
The ANPP declared its stand at a press conference held late Sunday night in its state secretariat along Gombe road pointing out that by virtue of section 109 subsection 1 (g) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic the members who were elected under the banner of the party in 2007 cease to be members of the Assembly since they have now left the party for another party.
The party through its State Secretary, Baba Abba Misau condemned in strong terms the actions of the legislators led by the Speaker of the House, Babayo Garba Gamawa saying that what they did was a betrayal of the trust of the entire people of Bauchi state who elected them in what he described as an ‘unprecedented’ election widely adjudged as the best in the country since the annulment of the June 12, 1993.
It also said that by the new political development in the Assembly following the decamping of the 16 members, the “purported impeachment notice signed by the said members that have now defected to the PDP and served on the Deputy Governor, Garba Mohammed Gadi goes to no issue, that it is invalid and ineffectual having been signed by the said defected members.”
While undertaken to sustain all democratic principles, values and ideals in the Nigeria political dispensation, the ANPP declared that it will do everything humanly and legally possible to ensure that it got back its mandate as was given to it by the people of the state in 2007 stressing that it is still in control of the political situation
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