Nobody can remove me but God, says Kano's embattled Speaker

Embattled Speaker of the Kano State House of Assembly, Abdullahi Ata, has remained defiant that only God can remove him from his position amidst a plot by lawmakers to impeach him and other principal officers.

21 members of the Assembly have reportedly signed to remove him from office due to allegations of being incompetent. 6 more signatures are required from the 40-member House to remove him at the next sitting.

While reacting to the plot, Ata said only God will determine whether the impeachment move against him succeeds or fails.

He said, "In anything in life, there is starting point and the end. If Allah has designed it that my time is off, nobody will extend it by a second. And if it is not time, nobody can remove me from office, that is my belief.

"My happiness is that I didn’t not steal anybody's money. So, if today, they remove me from office, I will leave. I have a constituency that I am representing. But nobody will accuse me of stealing."

Armed police officers shut down the Kano state House of Assembly complex on Monday, May 14, 2018. The heavily armed officers arrived at the complex around 2am to stop members from gaining access to the premises.

The spokesperson of the Kano State Police Command, SP Magaji Majia, said the deployment was a move to maintain peace in the state.

He said, "We deployed our men to the Assembly to ensure that nobody disrupts the peace. We need peace in the state and therefore we will not allow anybody to tamper with existing peace and harmony being enjoyed by the people in the state."

This came after Ata ordered the suspension of all House activities until after the Eid-El Kabir festivities.

Ata was sworn in 10 months ago to replace former Speaker, Kabiru Rurum, who resigned following corruption allegations.