Kebbi State Governor,? Alhaji Saidu Dakingari, and the state House of Assembly are heading for a show down over the appointment of special advisers to the governor.
The governor had sent a list of 57 special advisers to the Assembly for a resolution to enable him formalise the appointment of the advisers.
The governor indicated that there was an existing law on the salaries and remuneration as recommended by the Revenue Mobilisation, Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC), payable to special advisers and added that the special advisers would receive salaries and remuneration as provided for in the statute books.
But the Speaker of the Assembly, Aminu Musa Jega, said that special advisers must appear before the Assembly for screening whereas the governor felt that asking the special advisers to appear before the Assembly for screening was ultra vires the power of the Assembly.
Section 196 of the 1999 Constitution which the Speaker relied on in asking for the nominees to appear before the House reads: “(1) The Governor of a state may appoint any person as a special adviser to assist him in the performance of his functions.
(2) The number of such advisers and their remuneration and allowances shall be as prescribed by law or by resolution of the House of Assembly of the state.”
The Governor also felt that the House adopted a rather strange process by requesting the 57 persons to obtain a letter of clearance from the Kebbi State Office of the Code of Conduct Bureau.
Already the Kebbi State Office of the Code of Conduct Bureau has written a letter of clearance and submitted same to the House of Assembly.
But the governor argued that the provision cited above did not confer the power on the House to invite the nominees for screening. But the leadership of the House of Assembly disagreed.
To further irritate the governor, the leadership of the House removed some names from the list of Special Advisers. The governor is of the view that the provision of the constitution did not confer the power on the House to determine who he appoints as advisers.