Ademola Adeyemo
5 July 2009
(Page 2 of 2)
Lanpene also alleged that the Niger State Assembly members who were recently mobilised to impeach the former Speaker, Alhaji Mohamed Alkali, were offered N5 million each. "You know it was not the state government that did it. Who else in Niger State has N100 million to spend just to impeach the Speaker?" he asked. He said the speaker's impeachment was meant to be a first step towards denying Governor Aliyu the chance to contest again in 2011.
According to him, the crisis erupted because Babangida's top lieutenants in State, which include former Governor Kure and former PDP National Vice Chairman, Alhaji Abubakar Magaji were both indicted by the white paper of the Judicial Commission of Inquiry that probed the last regime. "They therefore launched a political counterattack to stop Governor Aliyu from securing the PDP nomination for 2011" he said.
The Special Assistant alleged that the two cases in the tribunal instituted against Governor Aliyu, were all instigated by the Babangida boys. He also defended Aliyu of the accusation that he was high handed in running the affairs of the state. He said, "The governor is not fighting anybody. He is only trying to be sincere with the people. Kure was misled for eight years by the political elite in Niger State. He was doing their bidding so much so that his regime could not achieve anything in two terms."
As expected Lanpene's outburst caused a political wild wind in the state. Sources said that even Governor Aliyu was embarrassed by the statement of his Special Assistant and therefore ordered a rebuttal. Few days later, the Senior Special Assistant on General Matters to the governor, Alhaji Yahuza Abdullahi disowned Lampene's comments as his personal views and not those of the Niger State government.
"He spoke on behalf of himself and not the Government of Niger State," Abdullahi said. According to him, "IBB and Governor Aliyu "are in the best of relationship at the moment. If at all there was anything, certainly not now. Governor Aliyu also has no problem with his predecessor, Engr. Kure at the moment," He blamed the rumoured frosty relationship between Governor Aliyu and General Babangida on "those hangers-on who thought they could only benefit when there is crisis."
Also, one of the Babangida's close associates, Alhaji Nma Kolo, while defending the former president said that he did not know anything about the crisis in the state House of Assembly. He denied the insinuation that Babangida was working towards blocking the incumbent governor's second term bid.
He said, "the former military president does not meddle in the state's politics, let alone engineer the removal of its speaker, Mohammed Alkali. He had no idea of the wrangling in the state House of Assembly; those accusing him of involvement in the plot were doing so based on their imaginations".
However, as political events continue to unfold in the state, the new Speaker, Alhaji Ma'ali, has been accused of working for the executive and thereby protecting Governor Aliyu. According to the critics, the refusal of the present House leadership to act on the petitions written by some people against Governor Aliyu smacked of hypocrisy
The House had last week, attributed its decision not to investigate a petition alleging financial improprieties by against Governor Aliyu brought before it by one Mr. Musa Muhamud to "improper presentation of the petition". The House claimed that the petitions were written by "faceless" people, hence its decision not to treat them.
Chairman, House Committee on Information, Isah Kawu, who made the clarification in Minna, while briefing reporters on the Assembly's activities in the last two years, said "faceless or anonymous petitions" were not allowed by the House standing rules.
According to Kawu, the Assembly would only entertain any petition whose author is identifiable in person and traceable to a known address, as the petitioner would be needed for questioning. "The lawmakers' action was not taken with a view to protecting the executive arm of government," he said.
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