Osita Chidoka, former minister of aviation, has slammed the Zamfara State chief judge and House of Assembly members for allegedly submitting their independence to the state executive.
Chidoka said the roles the different arms of Zamfara government played in the impeachment of Mahdi Aliyu-Gusau as deputy governor exposed their lack of shame.
The Zamfara Assembly had impeached Aliyu-Gusau after adopting the report of a panel that investigated the deputy governor for alleged gross misconduct and abuse of office.
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But in his response, Aliyu-Gusau hinged the allegations and his subsequent impeachment on his alleged refusal to join Governor Bello Mawatalle to dump the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Reacting on Wednesday, Chidoka, who is a PDP member, commended the impeached deputy governor for standing on his principle and refusing to “bow to [the] philistines”.
“I am proud of the erstwhile Deputy Governor of Zamfara state Mahdi Aliyu Mohammed, Gusua. His refusal to bow before philistines, resistance to abuse of power, downright rejection of the depravity of a ruling order bereft of moral compass marks him as a man of tomorrow,” the former minister said in a statement.
He said Gusau’s impeachment has proven that “our problem in Nigeria is not all structural or constitutional but deeply cultural.”
Chidoka further said: “What manner of person wins an election by judicial intervention on a platform and decamps to the ruling party without scruples? What kind of House of Assembly uses its power to worship a local deity without respect for its integrity and independence? What kind of constitutional rewriting or restructuring would make a State House of Assembly find its voice and not act as errand boys of a potentate?
“Who will believe that a Chief Judge, constitutionally clothed with guaranteed independence, would append his name to the charade that unfolded in Zamfara State?
“Well, today is not for lamentations. Today is victory day. Victory for Mahdi, whose principled stance brought the bizarre dance of the shameless in Zamfara.
“Mahdi should walk shoulder high, proud that he has given a good account of himself and refused to dent his proud family heritage.
“The barbarians are at the gate, but they would not overwhelm the city. The alliance of the good, the prayers of the faithful and the dreams of our people will combine to force a retreat.
“Mahdi, it is morning yet on creation day. Your future is assured, and note that the barbarians, who live without a moral compass, would end like their forebears in history, as footnotes. History is the story of those who refused to compromise with evil.”