Impeachment: Gadi replies Bauchi House

Ishola Michael, Gombe - 02.07.2009

THE embattled Deputy Governor of Bauchi State, Mohammad Garba Gadi, has responded to the alleged impeachable offences levelled against him by the state House of Assembly, denying all the allegations and describing them as baseless and unfounded, just as the House has dissolved the Investigative Panel set up by the State Chief Judge, Justice Sabo Suleiman Darazo, to investigate the impeachable offences against the deputy governor.

In an official letter to the Speaker with reference number, DG\ADM\PER\V.I\52, dated 30th June, 2009, the deputy governor declared that, “these allegations are not true and I state categorically that the issues raised in the letter were either done in accordance with the law due process, interest of the service or not aware of them at all.”

In a further reaction to the allegation of collecting two estacodes for the 2008 Hajj operations, Garba Gadi stated that, “I did not collect two different estacodes during the 2008 Hajj operation as alleged. I applied to His Excellency the Executive governor of my desire to attend the Hajj of the year 2008 along with my wife and two aides and was duly approved by him on 17th November, 2008.”

He explained further the sum of $33,600 was meant for his wife and the two aides as estacode for two weeks, while the sum of N2, 480, 000 was meant for air tickets through international routes, pointing out that, “the sum of N2, 204, 900, granted approval on 15th December 2008, was done to cover the cost of travelling expenses for myself, my family members and the entourage that received us at the Lagos Airport and Abuja, including costs of local air tickets for some of us.”