The Kano State House of Assembly has initiated impeachment proceedings against the Deputy Governor of Kano State, Aminu Abdussalam Gwarzo, over allegations of gross misconduct, abuse of office and breach of public trust.
The notice of impeachment was presented on the floor of the Assembly by the Majority Leader, Lawan Hussaini Dala, who said the action was taken in compliance with Section 188 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended).
According to him, the impeachment notice contains several allegations linked to Abdussalam’s tenure as Commissioner for Local Government between 2023 and 2024, as well as his current role as deputy governor.
Dala said the allegations border on diversion of local government funds, abuse of office and other actions considered impeachable under the constitution.
He alleged that while serving as Commissioner for Local Government and overseeing the administration of the state’s 44 local government councils, the deputy governor participated in the diversion of funds meant for local government operations.
The majority leader told the Assembly that between June 2023 and January 2024, Abdussalam allegedly received a kickback of N1.5 million from each of the 44 local government areas monthly.
According to him, the arrangement amounted to N66 million every month for seven months, totalling N462 million, which he said constituted a breach of public trust and undermined confidence in public governance.
Dala further alleged that between February and July 2024, Abdussalam received additional payments from the local government councils under the guise of executing special assignments.
He said the payments amounted to N3.255 million monthly from each local government, bringing the total to about N726 million over the six-month period.
The lawmaker said the alleged payments constituted another breach of public trust and violated the principles of transparency and accountability expected of a public officer.
The impeachment notice also accused the deputy governor of abuse of office.
According to Dala, Abdussalam allegedly used his position as commissioner to facilitate payments of N10 million each from the 44 local government councils to a pharmaceutical company, NovoMed Pharmaceuticals Limited.
He said the transaction, which allegedly amounted to N440 million, was carried out in contravention 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,” the majority leader said while presenting the notice.
He added that the allegations, taken together, amount to gross misconduct within the meaning of Section 188(2) of the constitution.
Dala explained that gross misconduct includes grave violations of constitutional provisions or other serious wrongdoing by a public office holder.
He said the alleged diversion of local government funds and abuse of office represented a fundamental breach of constitutional norms and ethical standards expected from public officials.
The majority leader told the Assembly that the impeachment notice was endorsed by 38 lawmakers, which meets the constitutional requirement for initiating the process.
He urged the Speaker to approve the transmission of the notice to the deputy governor as required by law.
“Based on the foregoing allegations, we hereby resolve that His Excellency, Aminu Abdussalam, the Deputy Governor of Kano State, be impeached and removed from office in accordance with the provisions of Section 188 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria,” Dala said.
Following the presentation, members of the Assembly indicated their support for the notice.
The Speaker subsequently acknowledged receipt of the document and is expected to communicate the allegations to the deputy governor in line with constitutional procedures for impeachment.
Under the constitution, once the notice is served, the House may proceed to request the Chief Judge of the state to constitute a panel to investigate the allegations if the motion is supported by the required majority of lawmakers.
The deputy governor has yet to publicly respond to the allegations as of the time of filing this report.
