Niger State Governor Mohammed Umaru Bago and his Deputy Mohammed Umaru Comrade Yakubu Garba have come under public attacks following their joint decisions to travel to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to perform this year’s holy Pilgrimage in the Holy Land at the same time.
The two Political leaders in the State have been given hard knocks on the heads and were accused of unseriousness in governance for abandoning their Constitutional responsibilities and neglecting the people to their fate amid the current insecurity challenges bedevilling the state and the high costs of food items in the markets few days to the Sallah celebrations in the state.
Reports from government circles indicated that the Governor and his Deputy left for Saudi Arabia between Sunday, June 9th, and Monday, June 10th, 2024, respectively, with no power being transmitted to anyone as enshrined in Section 190 (1) of the 1999 Constitution as amended.
Governor, in conjunction with his deputy, and the Hon. Speaker of the Niger State Hous of Assembly, including other Principal Officers, all female Permanent secretaries, and the majority of the State’s Executive Council members, who have allegedly abandoned the state for Hajj in Saudi Arabia.
The opposition party members, who pleaded for anonymity in a brief interview with journalists on Wednesday in Minna, the state capital, observed that government activities have been paralysed and the celebration of Democracy Day on June 12, 2024, was marked in a vacuum in the state in violation of Section 190(1) of the 1999 constitution as amended.
The sources who would not want to be quoted in print accused Governor Mohammed Umar Bago of persistent disregard for the people, constitution, and law by allegedly acting based on his monopoly of knowledge and arbitrariness, treating everyone as his servants instead of being the servants of the people.
An elder of the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP) in the state, Alhaji Umar Danladi Abdulhamid, described it as a political disaster, abuse of democracy, and unseriousness of government for the governor, deputy governor, and other key officers of the incumbent APC-led administration in the state to abandon the state, even without transmitting power to anyone in line with the constitutional provisions, saying, It is not a good omen for the state.
Danladi Abdulhamid, a former Hon. Commissioner for Education during Governor Muazu Aliyu Babangida’s administration in the state, however, expressed shock over the way and manner in which the Governor Mohammed Umaru Bago-led administration in the state has been operating without respect to the feelings of the citizens, despite the current security situation of the state, and called for caution and reversal of the perceived ugly trends.
Similarly, in a separate interview, the Niger North Zonal Chairman of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Yahaya Ability, said that the All Progressives Congress (APC)-led administration in Niger State was noted for outright violation of the laws, especially under the leadership of Governor Mohammed Umaru Bago of the state.
He stated further that it was most unfortunate that the Governor left the Country for Hajj in Saudi Arabia without remorse, the very day that some two military personnel were shot by the bandits at Tegina, in Rafi local government area of the state, while Four local governments of Rafi Shiroro, Munya and Mariga were under attacks on daily basis, and scores of people have been brutally killed by the insurgent groups.
Ability, however, explained that the matter is worse because the Assembly Speaker, Rt. Hon. Abdulmalik Sarkin-Daji, who was supposed to receive a written letter of transmission of power, also left together with the Governor, adding that the Assembly is a mere stooge and under the pocket of the governor.
The Zonal PDP chairman advised the electorates to go back to the drawing board by voting out the ruling All Progressives Congress APC come 2027 to ensure good governance while calling on them to immediately return back to the state so as to secure the state and respect the constitution.
“Section 190(1) of the 1999 Constitution as amended cannot be observed in breach as it makes clear provision for the absence of a governor without anticipation of both of them leaving their seats at the same time.” Ability stated.
Meanwhile, all efforts to get the government’s response on the matter were unsuccessful, as the Secretary to the State Government, Alhaji Abubakar Usman and the CPS to the Governor, Malam Bologi Ibrahim, didn’t pick up several calls made to them through their cell phones as of the time of filing this report on Wednesday in Minna
However, it was gathered that the state is being managed by the SSG, and the Chief of Staff, Hon. Abdullah Usman Gbatamangi, as a government source who preferred anonymity in a brief interview by telephone with the newsmen claimed that at the age of information technology, the governor can operate from anywhere in the world.
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