You can’t unseat Matawalle except 1999 Constitution is amended, Shinkafi cautions PDP

A Chieftain of the All Progressive Congress (APC), Dr. Sani Abdullahi Shinkafi has said that Zamfara State governor, Bello Matawale can not be removed from office except there is an amendment to the 1999 Constitution.

He warned the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to stop being mischievous in asking Matawalle to vacate office for his deputy ,Mahdi Aliyu Gusau to assume office claiming that the governor had lost the privilege of the governor’s seat by defecting to the APC.

Addressing a press conference in Abuja on Friday, Shinkafi said PDP’s claim to the governor’s seat is a huge joke while calling for the prosecution of the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan for subverting the constitution by declaring Matawalle’s seat vacant.

Shinkafi who made reference to a recent press statement by Ologbondiyan cautioning banks and other financial institutions to be wary of financial transaction with Gov. Matawalle said such remark is erroneous.

He copiously cited examples of cross – carpeting across party lines in recent past by making reference to the defection of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar from PDP to ACN, defection of Benue governor, Samuel Ortom from APC to PDP and that of Aminu Tambuwal as a sitting Speaker of House of Representatives from APC to PDP.

The party Chieftain said Gov. Matawalle “is fully protected by section 308 of the 1999 Constitution which grants him constitutional immunity from being sued in any civil or criminal proceeding”.

He went ahead to say that “it should be noted that the Supreme Court decision that enthroned Governor Matawalle into office was a pre- election matter between two factions of the APC ( not PDP), and that the time to have challenged Gov. Matawalle expired over two years ago.

“More significantly, section 180 of the constitution provides the only situations in which a validly elected Governor can cease to hold office, not by removal through an originating summons filed before a Federal High Court.

“The contradiction in the PDP case is suing both Gov Matawalle and his deputy, Mahdi Aliyu Gusau, believing wrongly that Gusau can take over Matawalle’s position as Governor of Zamfara State having not defected with him to the APC.They point out that the Deputy Governor does not come under section 181(1) of the constitution and so can never be Governor by upstaging Matawalle”.

He concluded that “the entire suit against Matawalle falls within the realm of a political question which is not justiciable or actionable in a court of law.

READ ALSO: Abducted Kogi monarch regains freedom

“That until the Constitution and the Electoral Act specifically debars a Governor from defecting, no Governor who has defected can thereby lose his seat, or have his seat occupied by his Deputy Governor . Such postulations are legally untenable”.

On the crisis rocking Zamfara APC which seems to have been more aggravated by the defection of Matawalle which now places the governor as the leader of APC in the state, he said every member must respect that fact.

He, therefore, call on the Mai Mala Buni national leadership of the APC to suspend both former governor Abdulaziz Yari and Senators Kabiru Marafa for antagonizing the Matawalle’s leadership.

Shinkafi also called on the Inspector General of Police to close down the parallel APC state secretariat in Zamfara, saying “if former governor Yari is not call to order, there will be a breakdown of law and order in the state”