The Nasarawa State House of Assembly has listed 16 impeachable offences against Governor Tanko Al-Makura.
The charges include missing funds from the Local Government Joint Account from June, 2011 to April, 2012 and Local Government Joint Account from January to July, 2013.
According to the impeachment notice, the action of the governor was a gross violation of section 162 (7 and 8 of the 1999 constitution of federal republic of Nigeria as amended.
The impeachment notice which was co-signed by 20 members of the Assembly out of 24 also stated that the governor’s action violated the constitution of the federal republic of Nigeria, 1999, as amended.
Others allegations leveled against the governor included Mis-Appropriation/Misapplication of funds from the Local Government Joint Account, Local Government SURE-P Fund and Transfer of Local Government Sure-P Fund to a fixed deposit account respectively.
Also included in the allegations were diversion of unappropriated state Sure-P funds to payment of various expenditure including the payment of D .T .A to governor and the first lady’s trip to Abuja to the tune of N13,205,000.
He was also accused of falsifying the state’s financial report for the year 2011, divertion and misapplication of flood fund, release of fund to NASIEC for the payment of salaries and other expenditure even in the absence of appropriation of funds to NASIEC, all described as gross misconduct.
However, a women group comprising Federation of Muslim Women Association of Nigeria, Christian Association of Nigeria,Women Wing and Women of Nasarawa State and Mothers of Nasarawa State and Women for Change, Nasarawa State, which was spearheaded by the Coordinator, Hajiya Hajara Danyaro, slammed moves by the legislators to boot governor Al-Makura from Government House.
The coordinator said the state’s women voted massively for the lawmakers on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party and voted for Al-Makura on the platform of the All Progressives Congress describing the action of the lawmakers as uncalled for.
Danyaro who accused the PDP of masterminding the impeachment.
According to her, President Jonathan visited the state on Monday to commission Ola Rice Farm at Rukubi area of Doma local government area, coinciding with the time the lawmakers released the impeachment notice.
She accused the president of stealing over N18bn and described lawmakers in the state as armed robbers.
Meanwhile, a former member in the state house of assembly, Mary Nwogulu, condemned the action of the lawmakers as embarrassing.
According to her, Al-makura has done a lot for the people of there state and wondered why the lawmakers could plot an ill-timed evil against the governor.
She appealed with the lawmakers to have a re-think and put aside the impeach plot for the interest of peace, unity and development to strive in the state.
Similarly, people in some constituencies of Doma Central, Doma South, Wamba and Akwanga West and Akwanga North and Keana and Kokona East have begun process to recall their members over on-going moves to sack Al-makura.
The people in a statement monitored on the state radio, Nasarawa Broadcasting Service, said they had commenced collation of signatories from various members of their constituencies to be forwarded to INEC for verification.
Culled from The Punch.