The Niger State Governor, Dr. Mu’azu Babangida Aliyu, on Wednesday ordered his deputy, Alhaji Ahmed Musa Ibeto, to stop attending the State Executive Council meetings.
This followed the defection of Ibeto from the ruling Peoples Democratic Party to the All Progressives Congress.
Aliyu claimed Ibeto called him a thief during one of the APC campaign rallies in the state.
It was reliably gathered that the governor in his opening remarks before the commencement of the regular weekly State Executive Council meeting on Wednesday at the Government House Minna, said he will not chair a council meeting where the deputy was seated.
The deputy governor was said to have first relocated to his office but had to move valuable items out of the office when he got the fillers that his boss would not have anything to do with him at the council.
But a statement on Thursday by Aliyu’s Chief Press Secretary, Israel Ebije, said Ibeto sought for and was granted permission to stay away from the SEC meetings, adding that he was entitled to all the perks of his office.
However, Ibeto, who was excused out of the chambers, described the statement as total falsehood.
He said this does not represent the true picture of what transpired at the council meeting.
While reacting to the Government House statement, Ibeto said: “If this statement is coming from government, let me react.
“It is not true that I excused myself.
“When I received notification for the council meeting of yesterday (Wednesday), I went as usual.
“But before the council started, the governor in his opening remarks said that people and members of the executive council were aware that I have decamped from the PDP to APC and that we had gone on campaign round the state.
“He said that he has the information and clips that I called him a thief and that he will not preside over the council where I am seated.
“He (Aliyu) said that he was no longer sure that I (Ibeto) will not use council deliberations against the PDP government.
“I objected and explained that I have never called him a thief and that everywhere we go, people always wanted to know why I defected to APC and I have been telling them I left PDP because of the injustice in the party.”
The deputy governor said although he quietly left office as a law abiding citizen after Aliyu had threatened to use the security against him, he was studying the relevant provisions of the constitution, adding: “I will challenge the governor’s undemocratic action in court appropriately.”
Ibeto said the governor has no constitutional power to stop him from attending legitimate council meetings, adding: “If I am deprived from attending council meetings, whatever decisions taken at such meetings are null and void.”
