The council chairman and former deputy chairman of Shira Local Government, Hon. Adamu Usman Bamaraya, have gone to court to seek that they be reinstated, that the by-election be cancelled, and that they be compensated for their dismissal.
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Bamaraya told reporters on Saturday that he had never been summoned to appear before an investigative panel or tribunal, nor had he been afforded the chance to refute any accusations, as mandated by Section 20 (7) of the Local Government Law and Section 36 of the 1999 Constitution.
He stated that he was informed of his dismissal through a Facebook post addressed to the removal of the Chairman of Shira Local Government Council (Hon. Abdullahi Ibrahim Beli) and Deputy Chairman (Hon. Adamu Usman) from their positions. The post was signed by the councillor for Andubun Ward, Hon. Abdullahi Wada.
Bamaraya said that he was coerced into resigning by certain stakeholders; upon his refusal, he was apprehended by the Shira Divisional Police Officer (DPO) and held in a Correctional Centre for seven days without a trial, before being released on bail.
He mentioned that he learnt of a by-election to fill the vacant chairman and deputy chairman positions on May 24, 2025, after the fact.
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His answer was to launch a legal challenge against the Bauchi State Independent Electoral Commission’s (BASIEC) decision to hold the poll.
As a result of his refusal to sign a resignation letter, he was arrested and detained. He is now pursuing sanctions against those responsible for his detention and reinstatement as Deputy Chairman.
In addition to the individual council members representing Shira LGA, the complaint names the Bauchi State House of Assembly, BASIEC, and the Shira Local Government Council as defendants.
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Allegations of serious misconduct, financial mismanagement, neglect of duty, and abuse of authority led to the removal of Chairman Abdullahi Ibrahim Beli and Deputy Chairman Usman Adamu from their positions by the Legislative Council of Shira Local Government on March 3, 2025. In order to fill the positions left vacant by their dismissal, BASIEC called for by-elections on May 24, 2025.
Ahmed Makama, chairman of the BASIEC, said that the commission had to hold elections within 14 days because it had to act on an official communication declaring the seats vacant.
We have been notified through correspondence that the positions of Chairman and Deputy Chairman in Shira Local Government are vacant. “We are obligated to hold an election to fill those vacancies as a commission,” Makama declared.
The Bauchi State Electoral Law (2008) requires that by-elections be conducted no later than fourteen days after a vacancy is publicly announced, he added.