Yobe IPAC Chairman, secretary reject impeachment, threaten sanctions

The Chairman of the Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC) in Yobe State, Umar Jajere, and the Secretary-General, Mustapha Gado, have rejected their purported impeachment by aggrieved members of the council.

The officials described the exercise as null and void, accusing the sponsors of blatantly violating the 2019 IPAC Code of Conduct.

The rebuttal follows an emergency meeting held in Damaturu, where the council’s Acting Secretary, Habiba Umaru, announced their removal. The faction had accused Jajere and Gado of administrative negligence, failing to consult member parties, and hoarding quarterly palliatives from the North-East Development Commission for personal benefit.

However, Jajere and Gado reiterated their commitment to constitutional processes, explaining that the Damaturu assembly failed to form the 50 per cent quorum required for such executive actions. They stated that the gathering was improperly convened without the mandatory seven-day notice or a formal petition to the Political Parties Alternative Dispute Resolution Committee.

“There was no formal complaint against us, no investigation and no opportunity for us to respond to any allegation. The prescribed disciplinary procedures were not followed”.

They warned political actors against parading themselves as the new leadership and threatened suspension for members who participated in the illegal exercise.

They urged the Yobe State Government and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to maintain the status quo, confirming that the national secretariat has been formally notified of the development to address the crisis.