Election Tribunal Fallout: Sokoto Gov Sacks LG Education Secretaries

Governor Ahmad Aliyu of Sokoto State has removed the Education Secretaries of the 23 local government areas in his state, directing them to hand over the affairs of their Local Education Authorities to the most senior officers in their respective LGAs.

A statement released Wednesday night by the Governor’s Press Secretary, Abubakar Bawa, said the sack of the Education Secretaries was with immediate effect.

The move came in the wake of Wednesday’s hearing at the Sokoto State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal, which subpoenaed the Head Teacher of Town Model Primary School, Sabon Birni under the Sabon Birni LGEA, Ibrahim Abdullahi, to testify in the case brought before it by the PDP governorship candidate, Sa’idu Umar, challenging the qualification of Ahmad Aliyu’s deputy to contest in the 2023 governorship election.

Umar, among other issues, was challenging the eligibility of APC governorship running mate, Mohammed Idris Gobir, on the ground that he did not attend primary school.

The Head Teacher was led by Counsel to Sa’idu Umar, S.I. Ameh SAN, in evidence and tendered the 1981 entrance school record and 1987 graduation school record, to prove that Gobir did not attend the school as claimed.

During the cross examination, Abdullahi said he is the school’s current Head Teacher and narrated that the school name has changed from Town Primary School to Model Primary School.

The Tribunal chairman, Justice Haruna Mshelia, admitted the certified true copies of the documents while the lead counsel of the Respondents, Chief Jecob Ochidi, opposed the applications.

Ahmad Aliyu’s immediate sacking of LGEA secretaries on the same day after the hearing is generally viewed in the state as a reprisal and pre-emptive move against such testimonies at the Election Tribunal, as the Governor is also facing a similar issue in the court concerning school attendance.