Court Reinstates Mahdi Gusau as Deputy Governor of Zamfara State

In a significant development, the Federal High Court (FHC) in Abuja has issued an order reinstating Mr. Mahdi Gusau as the Deputy Governor of Zamfara.According to a report by POLITICS NIGERIA, the court ruling follows the impeachment of Mr. Mahdi Gusau by the Zamfara State House of Assembly on February 23, 2022, in defiance of an existing court order.In his judgment, Justice Inyang Ekwo declared that all actions taken by the Zamfara State House of Assembly, former Governor Bello Matawalle, and the state’s chief judge in the alleged impeachment of Mr. Mahdi Gusau, while the court case was pending, are null and void. Justice Ekwo emphasized that such actions were irregular and cannot be upheld.Justice Inyang Ekwo concurred with the counsel for the plaintiff/applicant, acknowledging the need for the court to safeguard its integrity by admonishing the 5th, 6th, and 7th defendants (the speaker, governor, and chief judge) and reversing any actions or proceedings taken during the impeachment while the lawsuit was ongoing.The judge expressed agreement with the plaintiff’s argument that the court must protect its dignity by reprimanding the defendants involved and undoing the steps taken in the impeachment process while the case was pending. He further stated that none of the judicial authorities cited by the defendants’ counsel authorised taking extra-judicial action during the pendency of a court case.

The case arose when Matawalle, three senators, members of the House of Representatives, and the state House of Assembly defected from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC) on June 29, 2021. In response, the PDP and Gusau, who did not cross-carpet, filed a lawsuit seeking to declare their seats vacant due to their abandonment of the party through which they gained their positions of power.

The plaintiffs named the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), APC, President of the Senate, House of Representatives Speaker, and House of Assembly Speaker as defendants in the suit marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/650/2021.