Amid Questions over Qualification in Tribunal, Sokoto Governor Sacks Education Secretaries

Amid Questions over Qualification in Tribunal, Sokoto Governor Sacks Education Secretaries

Governor Ahmad Aliyu of Sokoto state has sacked the education secretaries of the 23 local government areas of the state.

This is coming after allegations that the governor and his deputy, Mohammed Idris Gobir may not have their minimum educational qualifications intact emerged at the Sokoto State Election Petitions Tribunal.

The governor directed the secretaries to hand over the affairs of their Local Education Authorities to the most senior officers in their respective LGAs.

A statement released on Wednesday night by the Governor’s Press Secretary, Abubakar Bawa, said the sack of the education secretaries was with immediate effect.

The move came in the wake of Wednesday’s hearing at the Sokoto State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal, which subpoenaed the Head Teacher of Town Model Primary School, Sabon Birni under the Sabon Birni LGEA, Ibrahim Abdullahi.

The tribunal subpoenaed Abdullahi to testify in the case brought before it by the PDP governorship candidate, Sa’idu Umar, challenging the qualification of Governor Aliyu’s deputy to contest in the 2023 governorship election.

Umar, among other issues, was challenging the eligibility of APC governorship running mate, Gobir, on the ground that he did not attend primary school.

The Head Teacher was led by Counsel to Sa’idu Umar, S.I. Ameh SAN, in evidence and tendered the 1981 entrance school record and 1987 graduation school record, to prove that Gobir did not attend the school as claimed.

During the cross-examination, Abdullahi said he is the school’s current Head Teacher and narrated that the school’s name has changed from Town Primary School to Model Primary School.

The Tribunal chairman, Justice Haruna Mshelia, admitted the certified true copies of the documents while the lead counsel of the Respondents, Chief Jecob Ochidi, opposed the applications.

Tribunal Chairman Justice Mshelia, adjourned the sitting to June 22 for continuation of hearing.

In the petition, Umar and PDP alleged that the election was flawed arguing that the election did not comply with electoral laws.
Umar argued that at the time of the election Respondents were not qualified to contest the election and prayed that by virtue of the non-qualification of the Respondents to contest the election, votes were wrongfully attributed to the Respondents in the said election and became unlawful or wasted votes, null and void.

He further prayed to Tribunal to mandate INEC to issue a new Certificate of Return to the Petitioner as the duly elected Governor of Sokoto State having scored the majority of the lawful votes cast or ordered for another election excluding the residents

Governor Aliyu’s immediate sacking of LGEA secretaries on the same day after the hearing is generally viewed in the state as a reprisal and pre-emptive move against such testimonies at the Election Tribunal, as the Governor is also facing a similar issue in the court concerning school attendance.

By PRNigeria