No impeachment move against me —Yari

•As Zamfara speaker, others regain freedom

EMBATTLED Governor Abdulaziz Yari of Zamfara State has rejected reported attempt by the state House of Assembly to impeach him for alleged abuse of office.

He told State House correspondents on Wednesday night, in Abuja, that there was no such move as, according to him, even members of the state legislature had acknowledged that there was only a misunderstanding.

“Even the assembly says there is no such move and that there was a misunderstanding.

“But you know, it is democracy we are practicing and everyone can be hurt. We are peaceful,” he said.

The assembly had claimed that it embarked on the impeachment proceeding against the governor for allegedly abusing his office.

In the statement, signed by Mannir Jaja, chairman of the house committee on information, the lawmakers said he had crippled governance in the state through his constant traveling abroad.

They accused him of not providing adequate explanation of N1 billion commercial agriculture/CBN loan.

Other allegations against Yari were non-remittance of pension funds to pension administrators, non-remittance of five per cent emirate councils funds, the gross misappropriation of bailout funds to the state by the Federal Government to settle workers’ salaries, including N10billion for 2014 and N1.46billion in 2016.

The governor, who is a member of the All Progressives Congress (APC), spoke after presiding over a meeting of the Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF) where he was also the chairman.

On the NGF meeting, he revealed that the forum received some presentation from the German ambassador to Nigeria, in connection with a planned trip for vocational programme.

He said the forum also received a presentation from Vodacom “on the area we are going to partner is in the area of health and agriculture.”

Meanwhile, the Speaker of the Zamfara State House of Assembly, Alhaji Sanusi Garba Rikiji, and three other principal officers that were detained in Abuja,  by the Department of the State Security (DSS) have regained their freedom.

The others were the deputy speaker, Muhammad Abubakar Gummi, the majority leader, Isah Abdulmumini and the Chief Whip, Abdullahi Dansadau.

Findings gathered that the lawmakers were arrested as a result of crisis that emanated between the 24 members of the state house of assembly and the governor.

The lawmakers had, among other things, accused the governor of being economical on how the N1billion agriculture fund was spent, non-remittance of pension funds to pension administrators, non-remittance of five per cent emirate councils funds, gross misappropriation of bailout funds to the state by the federal government.

However, a reliable source told the Nigerian Tribune that the state governor, Alhaji Yari, had directed for the immediate release of the affected officers.