Adamawa Assembly: Speaker sacks Chief Whip, reshuffles committees

The speaker had months ago spoken about the threat to impeach him for allegedly not “carrying everyone along.”

Speaker of the Adamawa state Assembly, Kabiru Mijinyawa has removed the the Chief Whip, Hassan Barguma, and the Deputy Chief Whip, Abubakar Isa, from their positions.

Mijinyawa made the announcement at the House plenary on Thursday, June 9, 2016.

The chairman of the House Committee on Information, Hassan Barguma and reassigned him to be in charge of committee on Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs).

The move which took most lawmakers by surprise, is being perceived by many as a move to stamp his authority following speculations of impeachment threat against him.

Mijinyawa appointed the House Deputy Speaker as the new chairman of the Committee on Information, while the speaker as vice chairman.

READ: In Adamawa: Lawmakers investigate non-payment of LG staff salaries

The speaker had months ago spoken about the threat to impeach him for allegedly not “carrying everyone along.”

“I can’t carry everyone along; it’s normal in life that nobody can satisfy all. I carry some and drop others, particularly those that messed up. I have no regret for that,”  he had said.

Barguma who expressed shock over the event said he has accepted his removal in good faith as part of politics of the house.

“I am not in the House to become Chief Whip, I am in the house to represent my people of Hong constituency. A legislature is not judged by leadership position he occupies in the house but by laws he made and the representation he gave his people,”  Barguma said.

Other standing committees whose chairmen were removed are Solid Minerals, Youth and Sports, Commerce, Trade, Industry, and Cooperatives.