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Aide defends Niger gov’s handover to Speaker

By JOHN OGIJI, MINNA
23 February 2015   |   2:34 pm
AMID a heap of criticisms greeting the decision by Niger State Governor Muazu Babangida Aliyu to handover to the Speaker of the legislature instead of his deputy as he left for Saudi Arabia to perform the lesser hajj, his Chief Press Secretary (CPS), Israel Ebije, on Monday stoutly defended the action of his principal, maintaining…

AMID a heap of criticisms greeting the decision by Niger State Governor Muazu Babangida Aliyu to handover to the Speaker of the legislature instead of his deputy as he left for Saudi Arabia to perform the lesser hajj, his Chief Press Secretary (CPS), Israel Ebije, on Monday stoutly defended the action of his principal, maintaining that nothing was unconstitutional about the whole exercise. 

 He noted that the governor has the constitutional discretion to choose another important political office holder aside his deputy to act on his behalf, stressing that the action had not contravened constitutional provisions and was not in anyway an impeachable offence.

 In a press statement issued in Minna on Monday, Ebije said the decision to make the Speaker of Niger State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Adamu Usman,  as Acting Governor fell within the ambit of the constitution, adding that the action does not compromise function of the state in anyway.

 The statement cited Section 193 of the Constitution which specified that the governor has the right to choose who to act for him, saying that those criticising the action of the state’s chief executive were acting in ignorance.

“I read the position of an ex-Chief Whip of the House of Representatives on the decision of Governor Mu’azu Babangida Aliyu to hand over to the Speaker, Niger State House of Assembly and I felt very disappointed, very sad that such a person could express a very uninformed constitutional position on the matter.

 “It is indeed quite unfortunate some people are sensationalising the matter. There are better state affairs that need to be attended to which ordinarily is of more importance than who the Governor decides to hand over to,” Ebije stated.

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