THE Kano State House of Assembly has commenced the process that could lead to the impeachment of the state’s Deputy Governor, Aminu Abdussalam Gwarzo, over allegations of gross misconduct, abuse of office and breach of public trust.
Daily Trust reported that the impeachment notice was introduced during plenary by the Assembly’s Majority Leader, Lawan Hussaini Dala, who said the move was taken in line with Section 188 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended).
Presenting the notice before lawmakers, Dala said the allegations against the deputy governor linked to his tenure as Commissioner for Local Government between 2023 and 2024.
He alleged that during the period he supervised the administration of the state’s 44 local government councils, Gwarzo was involved in diverting funds intended for local government operations.
According to the majority leader, the deputy governor allegedly received N1.5 million monthly from each of the 44 local government areas between June 2023 and January 2024.
He said the payments amounted to N66 million every month over seven months, bringing the total to approximately N462 million.
Dala further claimed that between February and July 2024, the deputy governor allegedly collected additional funds from the local government councils under the pretext of executing special assignments.
He said the payments were N3.255 million monthly from each council, amounting to roughly N726 million during the six-month period.
The lawmaker argued that such transactions represented a breach of public trust and undermined the standards of transparency and accountability required of public office holders.
Dala alleged that the deputy governor authorised payments of N10 million each from the 44 local government councils to a pharmaceutical company, NovoMed Pharmaceuticals Limited.
He said the payments, which allegedly totalled N440 million, were made in violation of the state’s procurement and fiscal management laws.
““The misuse of official capacity to confer undue advantage constitutes abuse of power and is contrary to the obligations of public office,” He was quoted to have said.
He added that the claims collectively amounted to gross misconduct as defined under Section 188(2) of the constitution.
Dala also informed the Assembly that the impeachment notice was signed by 38 lawmakers, meeting the constitutional threshold required to begin the impeachment procedure.
Following the presentation, members of the House indicated their support for the notice, while the Speaker acknowledged receipt of the document, and he is expected to formally notify the deputy governor in accordance with constitutional provisions.
The development came amid heightened political tensions in the state following the defection of Governor Abba Yusuf from the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Earlier in January, the Kano State Commissioner for Information and Internal Affairs, Ibrahim Waiya, asked Gwarzo to consider resigning after reportedly refusing to defect with the governor to the ruling party.
Addressing journalists in Kano, Waiya said governance required trust, loyalty and shared political alignment among members of the executive council.
According to him, it would be difficult for a deputy governor who no longer shares the governor’s political ideology to continue participating in government decision-making.
“If I were him, I would humbly resign,” the commissioner was quoted as saying, adding that it would be the most honourable option.
Yusuf, who was elected in 2023 on the platform of the NNPP, recently announced his defection to the APC, citing the need to strengthen cooperation with the federal government and attract development projects to the state.
His defection triggered a wave of political realignments in Kano, with several lawmakers, local government officials and political actors also switching allegiance to the APC, which now has 30 of the 36 governors in Nigeria.
Mustapha Usman is an investigative journalist with the International Centre for Investigative Reporting. You can easily reach him via: musman@icirnigeria.com. He tweets @UsmanMustapha_M