***Only Councillors Can Impeach Local Leaders, Not State Assembly, Lawyer
By Ahmed Rufa’i, Dutse
Some councillors in Garki Local Government Area of Jigawa State have accused the Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Haruna Aliyu Dangyatin, of violating constitutional provisions and a Supreme Court ruling on local government autonomy by interfering in their legislative affairs.
The councillors, who spoke to National Update on condition of anonymity, alleged that Dangyatin pressured them to reinstate their impeached local council speaker, Hon. Jamilu Adamu, despite what they described as a valid constitutional process for his removal.
They claimed the interference threatens grassroots democracy and contravenes Nigeria’s Constitution, which clearly defines the powers and jurisdictions of the three tiers of government.
“We are duly elected councillors empowered by the Constitution to choose our leader and remove him when necessary,” one councillor said. “For more than a year, our speaker failed to convene even a single council session. We were excluded from discussions on Garki council finances, contract awards, and oversight functions. Based on these breaches, seven of us signed for his removal and replaced him.”
The councillors alleged that, after the impeachment, the state speaker summoned them in the middle of the night, intimidated them, and ordered them to reverse their decision.
Efforts to reach Dangyatin for comment were unsuccessful, as calls and text messages sent to his phone went unanswered. Similarly, the Assembly’s Committee on Information Chairman, Hon. Ibrahim Hashimu Kanya, initially ignored calls for comment.
However, on Saturday morning, Kanya confirmed that the Jigawa State House of Assembly had quashed the impeachment. He argued that the councillors’ action was “not in order” and advised local legislators to seek guidance from the Assembly before taking such steps.
A prominent lawyer, Barrister Baffa Alhassan, disagreed with the Assembly’s position, citing the Supreme Court’s recent ruling affirming local government autonomy.
“With the Supreme Court’s decision, the state assembly has no authority to interfere in local council administration or finances,” Alhassan said. “Councillors alone have the constitutional power to remove their leaders if found guilty of impeachable offences. Even a local government chairman can only be removed by the councillors—not the state assembly.”
The controversy underscored ongoing tensions between state legislatures and local councils across Nigeria, even as the Supreme Court seeks to reinforce grassroots self-governance.