By Mohammed Mohammed
Former Vice President of Nigeria, Atiku Abubakar on Friday condemned the impeachment of the Zamfara State Deputy Governor Mahdi Aliyu Gusau by the House of Assembly on what he calls “petty political reasons” rather than public interest.
Reacting to the development through his media office in Abuja on Friday, the former Vice President was quoted to have said: “I am embarrassed by the trivialisation of impeachment for personal vengeance by political leaders, contrary to the intentions of the framers of our constitution.”
Atiku, made the disclosure in a statement he signed, said: “The ill-advised idea behind the impeachment is an affront to the ideals of democracy and human rights which, regrettably and ironically, the parliament is meant to protect.”
He warned about the dangers of toying with the constitution and using it for purposes that harm our democracy and public interest.
The Waziri Adamawa added that no one deserved to be persecuted using the instrument of the constitution for exercising his right to freedom of association or political affiliation.
He explained that “the constitution is not intended as a tool for fighting perceived political opponents,” adding that “marginalising a deputy governor and rendering him irrelevant and then accusing him of not performing his duties is gross injustice.”