The Kano State House of Assembly has initiated impeachment proceedings against the Deputy Governor of the state, Aminu Abdussalam Gwarzo, over allegations of gross misconduct abuse of office and breach of public trust.

The impeachment notice was presented during plenary by the Majority Leader of the Assembly, Lawan Hussaini Dala. He explained that the action followed a motion endorsed by 38 members of the House and was carried out in accordance with Section 188 of the 1999 Constitution which outlines the procedure for removing a deputy governor from office.

Lawmakers alleged that the deputy governor engaged in several acts that violated public office standards during his tenure as Commissioner for Local Government and later as Deputy Governor. According to the notice, he allegedly received financial kickbacks from the 44 local government councils in the state between June 2023 and January 2024.

The Assembly further alleged that additional payments were collected from the councils under the guise of carrying out special assignments between February and July 2024. The transactions reportedly ran into hundreds of millions of naira and were described by lawmakers as a serious breach of public trust.

Lawmakers also accused Gwarzo of facilitating the release of about N440 million from the local government councils to a private company in violation of procurement and fiscal regulations. The Assembly said the allegations collectively amount to gross misconduct and therefore justify the impeachment process.

Under the constitutional procedure the deputy governor will be formally served with the notice and given the opportunity to respond to the allegations before the next stage of the impeachment process proceeds.