KEY POINTS

• The Kano State House of Assembly has initiated impeachment proceedings against Deputy Governor Aminu Gwarzo over allegations of gross misconduct and abuse of office.

• Lawmakers claim he received hundreds of millions of naira in kickbacks from local government councils and authorised controversial payments to a pharmaceutical company.

• The development comes weeks after Governor Abba Yusuf defected from the NNPP to the APC, triggering political realignments in the state.

The Kano State House of Assembly on Thursday began impeachment proceedings against Deputy Governor Aminu Gwarzo, accusing him of gross misconduct, abuse of office and breach of public trust.

The motion to begin the process was introduced during plenary by the Majority Leader of the Assembly, Lawal Dala, and was presided over by the Speaker, Ismail Falgore.

According to the lawmakers, the action was taken in line with Section 188 of the 1999 Constitution, which empowers state legislatures to begin impeachment proceedings against a deputy governor or governor over allegations of misconduct.

In the notice read during the sitting, members of the Assembly alleged that Gwarzo engaged in misconduct while serving as Commissioner for Local Government between 2023 and 2024.

They claimed that during the period from June 2023 to January 2024, he received monthly kickbacks of 1.5 million naira from each of the 44 local government councils in Kano State.

According to the Assembly, this arrangement amounted to 66 million naira every month and a total of 462 million naira over seven months.

Lawmakers further alleged that between February and July 2024, the deputy governor collected additional payments of 3.255 million naira monthly from each of the local government councils under the pretext of carrying out special assignments.

They said the payments during this period allegedly totalled 726 million naira.

The Assembly also accused Gwarzo of facilitating the release of 10 million naira from each of the 44 local government councils, amounting to 440 million naira, to NovoMed Pharmaceuticals Limited.

Lawmakers said the payment was made in violation of the Kano State Public Procurement Law and fiscal management regulations.

Deputy governor given time to respond

Following the presentation of the allegations, Speaker Ismail Falgore directed that a formal notice of the impeachment proceedings be served on the deputy governor in accordance with constitutional requirements.

The Chief Press Secretary to the Assembly, Kamaludde Sani, confirmed that the motion had been presented and that the deputy governor had been given two weeks to respond to the allegations.

He said the deputy governor must address the accusations or risk facing further steps in the impeachment process.

“This is a serious matter that requires the deputy governor to either clear his name or face the full weight of the law,” Sani said.

Efforts to obtain a response from Gwarzo were unsuccessful at the time of filing this report, as calls to his Chief Press Secretary, Ibrahim Shuaibu, were not answered.

The impeachment move comes weeks after Governor Abba Yusuf defected from the New Nigeria People’s Party to the All Progressives Congress, a development that has triggered political shifts within the state.

Following the governor’s defection, several commissioners resigned from the state cabinet, declaring their loyalty to the NNPP and the Kwankwasiyya movement led by former governor Rabiu Kwankwaso.

Among those who resigned were the Commissioner for Internal Security and Special Services, Air Vice Marshal Ibrahim Umar (retd.); the Commissioner for Youth and Sports Development, Mustapha Rabiu Kwankwaso; the Commissioner for Science and Technology, Yusuf Ibrahim Mata; the Commissioner for Humanitarian Affairs, Adamu Kibiya; and the Commissioner for Special Projects, Nasiru Sani Garo.