By Najeebullah Lawan
The political atmosphere in Kano State has shifted considerably since early January 2026. This development follows a rift between the National Leader of the NNPP, Senator Dr. Rabi’u Musa Kwankwaso, and his 40-year unshakable political associate, His Excellency the Governor of Kano State, Abba Kabir Yusuf.
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The disagreement ultimately led to the governor’s defection from the party that brought him to power, effectively ending his political association with Senator Kwankwaso at the moment.
It is important to state from the outset that one of the cornerstones of democracy is the freedom of choice and thought. From a purely political standpoint, the Kano State Governor committed no offense by defecting to the APC.
From the other angle, the Deputy Governor, Comrade Aminu Abdussalam, continues to align with the Supreme Leader of the Kwankwasiyya movement and remains firmly committed to ideology of Kwankwasiyya, as well as to the NNPP. Of course, Aminu’s decision to remain in the NNPP violates no democratic principle; he is free to choose the political path he believes in.
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However, it is evident that Aminu’s right to belong to a political party different from that of his principal — Gov Abba — is likely to be challenged by the Governor’s faction and loyalists, in affirming the so-called #KanoFirst slogan.
As expected, last week, the Kano State House of Assembly served the Deputy Governor with a notice of impeachment, outlining certain allegations which were decided to be open during this political crises.
I do not intend to dwell on the broader understanding of democracy especially from the perspective of those in power. This piece will instead focus on clearly explaining the constitutional provisions and requirements that must be satisfied before a deputy governor can be removed from office.
The relevant provision in this regard is Section 188 of the 1999 Constitution of the FRN (as amended). A Governor or Deputy Governor may be removed from office under the following procedure:
A notice of ANY allegation in writing, signed by not less than one-third of the members of the House of Assembly, must be presented to the Speaker of the House. The notice must state that the holder of the office is guilty of GROSS MISCONDUCT in the performance of their official duties, and detailed particulars of the alleged misconduct must be specified.
Upon receiving this notice, the Speaker must, within seven days, cause a copy to be served on the holder of the office and on each member of the House. Additionally, the Speaker must cause any statement made in reply to the allegation by the officeholder to be served on each member. The seven-day window given to the Speaker here is the maximum; the Speaker may act within a shorter period.
Thereafter, within fourteen days of the presentation of the notice to the Speaker—regardless of whether the officeholder made any statement in reply—the House of Assembly shall resolve by motion, without any debate, whether or not the allegation should be investigated.
For the motion to be passed, it requires the support of a two-thirds majority of ALL members of the House. It is important to emphasise: this means two-thirds of all members, not merely two-thirds of those present.
Within seven days of the passing of the motion to investigate, the Chief Judge of the State—not the Attorney General—shall, at the request of the Speaker, appoint a panel of seven persons. In the Chief Judge’s opinion, these persons must be of unquestionable integrity and must not be members of any public service, legislative house, or political party. Their sole task is to investigate the allegation.
It is important to note that the officeholder whose conduct is being investigated has the right to defend himself in person or to be represented before the panel by a legal practitioner of his own choice.
The seven-member panel is required to report its findings to the House of Assembly within three months of its appointment. If the panel reports that the allegation has not been proved, the matter ends there, and no further proceedings shall be taken in respect of it.
However, if the panel’s report concludes that the allegation against the officeholder has been proved, then within fourteen days of receiving the report, the House of Assembly may adopt the report.
This adoption must be supported by a resolution passed by not less than two-thirds majority of ALL its members. Upon the adoption of the report, the officeholder—in this context, the Deputy Governor—shall stand removed from office from the date of that adoption.
A crucial point to note in this matter is that no proceedings or determination of the panel or of the House, nor any matter relating to such proceedings or determination, shall be entertained or questioned in any court.
Najeebullah Lawan writes from Kano State, Nigeria, and can be reached via: najeebullahlawan@gmail.com
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed here are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Daily Report Nigeria.