JUST IN: Impeached Zamfara Deputy Gov Speaks On Defecting To Ruling Party, APC

The impeached Deputy Governor of Zamfara State, Mahdi Aliyu-Gusau, has claimed that his refusal to defect to the All Progressives Congress (APC) is responsible for the allegations of misconduct levelled against him by the Governor Bello Matawalle-led government.

Trixx NG has reported how the Zamfara House of Assembly on Wednesday impeached Aliyu-Gusau.

20 out of 21 lawmakers that attended the plenary were said to have considered and approved a report submitted by a commission of inquiry that investigated the allegations of misconduct and abuse of office against the deputy governor.

But in a BBC Hausa interview he shared on his official Facebook account on Wednesday, Aliyu-Gusau refuted the allegations.

He claimed that the ruling APC and the Zamfara government will welcome him with open arms and drop the allegations against him if he decides to emulate Governor Matawalle by defecting from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the party.

Speaking in Hausa language, Aliyu-Gusau said: “Because I’m not with the APC, that was why they cooked up stories and charges against me. If I agree to join the APC today, all the allegations would be washed away. They will even organize a party to welcome me. Does that make sense?” adding “Just because I stayed on my principals, that’s what is bringing all of these.”

The impeached deputy governor said the allegations levelled against him were strange to him, saying “Everything they do is done in secret and they are not being truthful in their dealings.

“I could have appeared before the probe panel to clear my name within minutes, but I decided not to because the matter is in court.”

Aliyu-Gusau said he was also accused of failing to stand in for Governor Matawalle whenever he was away from the state.

He, however, noted that there was no way he could have functioned in acting capacity when the governor had never deemed it fit to hand over to him or give him the authority to act on his behalf whenever he travels out of the state or the country.

“They said whenever he travels out of the state, I don’t feel his shoes as governor. But since the last two to three years that we’ve been together, he has never travelled and given me any authority to act. So how would I act as governor?” Aliyu-Gusau.

He cited an instance when a community in the state was under attack while the governor was out of the country, saying his efforts to give directives to security agencies failed because the agencies expected such directives to come from the governor.