A plot to remove Speaker Ata was hatched last May, with about 23 House members as signatories supporting the move.
Desmond Mgboh, Kano
The Kano State House of Assembly has impeached its Speaker, Yusuf Abdullahi Ata and a new one, Kabiru Alhassan Rirum, elected.
The impeachment was sequel to a motion by a member representing Warawa Constituency, Labaran Abdul Madari.
The motion was seconded by the only members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the House, Abdullahi Yaryasa Mohammed.
READ ALSO: Kano PDP leaders, stakeholders meet over Kwankwaso’s defection
A plot to remove Speaker Ata was hatched last May, with about 23 House members as signatories supporting the move.
However, the plot was put off following the intervention of the Kano State Governor, Dr Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, who brokered peace between the two factions.
The governor’s intervention which worked out a power sharing arrangement, elevated the new speaker to the position of deputy speaker.
READ ALSO: Impeachment in Kano Assembly, A Process of Internal Democracy – Gov Ganduje
In the latest changes, Rirum was equally replaced by Hamisu Ibrahim Chidari, while Baffa Baba Dan’agundi and Ayuba Labaran emerged the new Majority Leader and new Minority Leader respectively.
Sources familiar with the intrigues in the House told Daily Sun that the present exploit was conceived and perfected during the recent vacation of the House.
He added that the new speaker and his element were able to secure the support of the six loyalists of the Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso in the House to effect the present change.
In the meantime, Kano Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje has described the leadership change as a process of internal democracy.
READ ALSO: New Kano Assembly leadership visits Ganduje
The governor disclosed this during a courtesy call by the new leadership of the House, who stopped over at the Government House to affirm their loyalty to the governor and President Muhammad Buhari.
According to Ganduje, he was only informed of the changes in the House by telephone while adding that he was equally informed of the visit of the new leadership by phone.
The governor said that going by his long experience in politics, changes of this nature was not unusual as it happens from time to time. He described impeachment as a smooth transition adding that there was no exchange of blows and no disruption of the peace
of the people of the state. He asked the new leadership to carry every body along in the business of the House while appealing to the losers in the saga to work together with the new leadership in the over- all interest of the state.
Ganduje assured that his administration would continue to work in synergy with the legislature and the judiciary for the overall development of the state.
Rirum in his remarks, pledged the absolute loyalty of the new leadership to the re-election bid of the governor and President Muhammad Buhari respectively.