Posted by By Francis Falola, Minna on
Following the recent attack on the Deputy Speaker of the Niger State House of Assembly, Alhaji Haruna Labaran, two chieftains of the ruling....
Following the recent attack on the Deputy Speaker of the Niger State House of Assembly, Alhaji Haruna Labaran, two chieftains of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party have been dismissed from the party.
The affected people are a special adviser to the governor, Alhaji Mohammed Kagara, and one of the special assistants to the governnor, Alhaji Kabiru Mohammed.
According to the Chairman of the PDP in Kusherki Local Government Area of the state, Alhaji Zubairu Mohammed, who addressed journalists in Kagara on Saturday, the PDP's executive in the local government area has approved the dismissal.
He said that the party's leadership at the Sabon Gari and Cicin Gari wards of the local government area where the two party stalwart belong at a meeting on July 20 took the decision to dismiss them.
He attributed the dismissal to their lack of obedient to their ward executives, elders of Kagara and followers of the party.
The letter approving the dismissal of both Kagara and Mohammed was signed by the PDP's Chairman of Rafi Local Government Area, Alhaji Musa Ladan.
Kagara, who is also the Faqacin of Kagara, and Mohammed, in an interview with our correspondent in Minna, on Sunday, said that the party both at the wards and local government levels had not briefed them about the dismissal.
Kagara said, 'I am a founding member of PDP in my ward, local government area and the state. I was once a local government chairman and a commissioner in the state. I have been a loyal PDP member and I believe there are laid down rules for dismissal or suspension of erring party members.
'The rule is that the person might have been invited for investigations over any allegation levelled against him by the party or its committee. But up till now I have never been invited, neither was any allegation levelled against me. It is therefore surprising to hear about my being dismissed from the party."
He refrained from further comment until he was officially notified of the purported suspension.
Kabiru, who also denied receiving any letter of his dismissal, also stated that he was never invited by the party or its committee on any allegation.
He dismissed the purported dismissal as the handiwork of his political opponents in the area, adding that he would also respond through appropriate channels when served with the letter of dismissal.