Perhaps, the greatest drawback to the nation’s march to economic and political prosperity can be blamed to a very large extent on the enormous powers which the state governors wield. They have held this nation back because they have too much power that when aggregated you cannot but wonder if they do not really have more powers than the president. They have used this power often to arm-twist, sometimes blackmailing the president into granting their every wish.
In June 2010, Nigeria’s state governors voiced opposition to having a sovereign wealth fund manage the country’s oil wealth. Then Finance Minister Olusegun Aganga had championed the idea of a sovereign fund to help the nation save some of its oil revenues for the future, invest in critical infrastructure and help stabilize the finances when world oil prices are volatile.
The Nigerian Governors Forum led by Rotimi Amaechi and supported heavily by Babatunde Fashola of Lagos and other governors, who later formed the All Progressives Congress, took the Jonathan administration to court to declare the Sovereign Wealth Fund illegal, asserting that the Jonathan-led Federal Government could not force them to save. They wondered what rainy day the president was saving for when in reality the rains were already with the country then.
Amaechi released a statement justifying his opposition to the Sovereign Wealth Fund on August 31, 2011 and said: The SWF is an attempt to desecrate section 162 of Nigeria’s Constitution. Section 162(1), (2) and (10) of the 1999 Constitution prescribed the mode of sharing the revenue of the Federation.
These same governors were later to join President Muhammadu Buhari in accusing Jonathan of frittering the excess crude oil gains during his reign. Talk about eating one’s cake and still have it. That is how easy they take a position, mislead the sitting president and come out clean after the reign of that government.
The governors because of our skewed electoral process determine who will be federal and state legislators in their states. They appoint their cronies as local government chairmen. They nominate candidates as ministers; they manipulate and force their will on the president. The Electoral Amendment Act took this long because our very powerful governors had different ideas. The governors have not hidden their reservations against a process that may ensure that at least the electorate can ultimately decide who leads them. Every party primary in the state is always won by the candidate of the governor.
This larger-than-life image of the governors has made them see themselves as thin-gods to whom all must owe allegiance. Whatever the governor does must be accepted by the state legislators; wherever the governor goes, his deputy, state and federal legislators must go along. For all it is worth, the state assembly members are mere cheerleaders. To contemplate the contrary is to attract the ire of the governor and the consequences can be better imagined.
When Governor Bello Matawalle of Zamfara State, picked his Deputy Governor, Mahdi Aliyu Gusau, son of retired General Aliyu Muhammad Gusau as his running mate in 2018, the choice of the Deputy Governor took many by surprise but pundits believed the governor, decided to pick him because of the influence of his father. Until his appointment, Gasau was the senator representing Zamfara Central in the National Assembly.
However, trouble started for the Deputy Governor when the governor decided to dump the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC) in July 2021. The federal lawmakers from the state who were also members of PDP also announced their defection to the APC. To do otherwise is to court trouble.
The state deputy governor, Mahdi Aliyu, and a member representing Talata Mafara/Anka in the State House of Assembly, Kabiru Yahaya, however, decided to remain in the opposition PDP.
The impeached Deputy Governor had said while addressing newsmen that he was opposed to joining the APC because the court awarded the electoral victory in 2019 to the PDP and not just its candidates. Logical is it not? Well, in our geopolitical space logic usually stands on its head.
As a barrister, he quickly went to court to secure a court order to stop any government agencies, or persons from removing him from office. He miscalculated. Our governors are above the law.
A member of the state House of Assembly representing Maru in the state House of Assembly, Yusuf Kanoma, raised a motion against the impeached Deputy Governor. He lured his colleagues to summon the impeached Deputy Governor to come and explain why over 100 people were killed in the state but in that very week, he made a grand entry into the state capital holding rally when the state was in mourning. As if the deputy governors are now the chief security officers of the states to whom humongous resources are allocated as security votes.
With a subsisting court order, the deputy governor refrained from coming to the Assembly insisting that he cannot violate the court.
Part of the allegations levelled against him was his failure to account for the office impress approved for him by the Governor; he was also accused of not discharging his duties assigned to him by the governor. Because the governor has been accountable to them.
A seven-man panel by the Chief Justice of the state, Justice Kulu Aliyu on February 14 to investigate this gross misconduct and abuse of office levelled against him was constituted. The panel which has Justice Halidu Tanko-Soba as Chairman, with Oladipo Okpeseyi (SAN), Abdul-Atadoga Ibrahim (SAN), Hussaini Zakariyau, (SAN), Amina Tanimu-Marafa, Alhaji Sani Mande and Ahmad Buhari-Rabah, as members commenced sitting the following day. No time to waste. The deputy governor has to be nailed as quickly as possible.
When the panel began sitting in Gusau, Secretary to the Panel, Sani Tsafe, confirmed that he had served the Deputy Governor with all the necessary Processes/Notice through electronic means.
He told the panel that he forwarded the Notice to Aliyu-Gusau’s verified email and WhatsApp platform, and presented the scanned copies as evidence of successful delivery. Again, that will be more expedient as serving him personally or through any other means is a waste of the governor’s precious time.
Also, testifying Counsel to the complainant (Zamfara House of Assembly), Nasiru Jangebe, presented seven witnesses who would testify during the sitting of the panel.
Earlier, the Speaker, Nasiru-Muazu Magarya, on Feb. 10 wrote to the Chief Justice to set up the panel following the Assembly’s sitting on Feb. 7 which served the Deputy Governor with a Notice of Impeachment over alleged gross misconduct and abuse of office.
Even though Gusau had addressed the press saying he would not appear because there is a court order preventing the lawmakers from impeaching him. But the House had through its House Committee on Information, Alh Shamsudeen Bosko said, ‘No court can stop the impeachment.’ Not even the Supreme Court, I dare say.
He argued further that the process (impeachment) was in line with Section 188 (5) (7), as well as Section 190 of the 1999 Constitution.
A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja had on Monday, Feb.14, warned the Zamfara House of Assembly against the plan to impeach Gusau. Again, a waste of time, the governor has to be satisfied.
Justice Inyang Ekwo had issued the warning after Emmanuel Ukala (SAN), counsel to the Deputy Governor and PDP, prayed the court to restrain the lawmakers from carrying out the plan.
Although Justice Ekwo did not specifically give the restraining order, saying since parties in the suit had subjected themselves to the court’s jurisdiction, no party should take any action during the pendency of the matter. ‘Nah today?’ Mr Governor has decreed and so shall it be.
True to their words when finally on Wednesday 23rd the members of the panel presented their report to the House, the House in a unanimous decision impeached the Deputy Governor within three hours of presenting the report. With immediate effect and automatic alacrity, apologies to Chief Zebrudaya, of the now rested sitcom, New Masquerade.
The Speaker, Nasiru Magarya, had said 20 out of the 21 lawmakers voted for the motion to impeach the Deputy Governor. Immediately after his impeachment, the governor, Bello Matawalle, sent the name of Senator Hassan Nasiha as the new Deputy Governor for screening. He was subsequently screened and named as the new Deputy Governor. Fait accompli.
The shameful assembly think they can deceive the people by their disgraceful acquiesce to the governor’s grand design to ensure that everybody in the state remains his marionette. It is democracy that suffers as the governors continue to have their way all the time.
Sadly, until our electoral processes are transparent and fair and the vote of the people begins to count, these shameful scenarios will continue. Matawalle must cover his head in shame and pray that the status quo remains ad infinitum. The legislators have only lived up to expectations. They have delivered as the puppets that they are. They danced disgracefully in the otherwise hallowed chambers of the Assembly, while the governor pulled the strings from the government house. Disgrace.
