Niger gov sacks political appointees as Plateau Assembly suspends council chairmen

Governor Mohammed Umar Bago of Niger State has sacked all political appointees that served under the previous administration, ordering them to vacate their offices immediately.

The information was contained in a statement issued by Permanent Secretary, Office of the Secretary to the State Government, Aishatu Usman. According to Usman, those affected by the sack include, directors-general, coordinators, project managers, senior special assistants, special assistants, political assistants, ward ambassadors, as well as personal assistants to political appointees.

Those exempted include Statutory Commission and Niger State Local Government Pension Boards. These were required to hold their offices, as stipulated by relevant laws governing their appointments.

The statement also ordered the appointees to hand over affairs at their offices to the Permanent Secretary or the most senior officer. Also, Plateau State House of Assembly suspended all local council chairmen and councillors across the 17 council areas of the state.

The Speaker, Nuhu Abok Ayuba, announced the action, while presiding over a plenary session, yesterday. The session raised arguments in favour of and against the motion. However, lawmakers who favoured the suspension were in the majority.

Meanwhile, crisis rocking the House took a twist, yesterday, when lawmakers sacked the chairman of Langtang North Local Council, Bitrus Zulfa Rimven.

Recall that the House had been under lock and key for some time, following a leadership tussle between sacked Ayuba and the former Speaker, Yakubu Sanda.

Moves by Ayuba to take control of the House, along with his loyalists, led to police occupation of the premises, to prevent breakdown of law and order.

At the plenary, yesterday, Ayuba, who made a dramatic return to his seat as Speaker, sacked Rimven with immediate effect, after deliberations, which lasted about 30 minutes.

He made the declaration, when the member representing Barkin Ladi and Minority Leader, Peter Gyangdeng, supported by the member representing Riyom constituency, raised a motion.

The Speaker said Rimven was not the rightful chairman and should, therefore, vacate the seat. He asked Police Commissioner, Bartholomew Onyeka, to enforce the judgment.