A new political twist is unfolding in Zamfara State as the House of Assembly has initiated plans to sanction Deputy Governor Mahdi Aliyu for holding a political rally after scores of people were killed in an attack by armed bandits in the state.
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Mr Aliyu was also accused of ‘disrespecting’ the state police commissioner in a WhatsApp chat.
There are speculations that the lawmakers want to use the matter to impeach Mr Aliyu who refused to defect with Governor Bello Matawalle to the APC from the PDP.
The House asked Mr Aliyu to appear before it to explain why he held the rally without considering the security situation and ”in direspect of advice by the security authorities in the state”.
The lawmakers said Mr Aliyu’s action may aggravate insecurity in the state.
The Speaker of the House, Nasiru Magarya, confirmed the invitation to Mr Aliyu. He said, “it is wrong for the deputy governor to hold a political rally in this critical time”.
A member of the House, Yusuf Alhassan, representing Maru North, moved the motion to invite the deputy governor.
Mr Alhassan accused Mr Aliyu of attempting to cause unrest in the security-fragile state and thus needed to be summoned to explain his action.
However, Mr Aliyu said he was yet to receive the invitation from the lawmakers.
The deputy governor was seen in a viral video addressing some of his supporters while daring anyone to stop him from visiting Zamfara.
In the video Mr Aliyu said “This is not a political rally, I was just welcomed. They have not seen anything yet. When the time comes for politicking, they will see the true political rally.
“Even though, I was not born in Zamfara, my father was born here and nobody can stop me from coming to Zamfara. This is my home.
“Also, we are aware of the killings in Maradun LGA. We sympathise with the families of the deceased ones. May Allah grant comfort to those who lost their lives. I am ready to visit the area for condolence,” Mr Aliyu said amidst cheers by his supporters.
The deputy governor has refused to join Governor Matawalle to defect to the APC.
Mr Aliyu, who is a son of a former Minister of Defence, Ali Gusau, argued that the Supreme Court awarded the electoral victory in 2019 to the PDP and not just its candidates.
One other federal lawmaker from the state, Kabira Yahaya, also declined moving to the APC with the governor.
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