Daboya-Mankarigu NDC suspends constituency chairman, other party executives

The National Democratic Congress (NDC) in the Daboya-Mankarigu Constituency of the Savannah Region has suspended the Constituency Chairman of the party Alhaji Yahaya Mohammed Mutala and ten (10) other branch executives.

A letter signed by the Constituency Secretary of the party Gazari Muniru dated 14th March, 2021 and copied to Bole based Nkilgi Fm said; “The Constituency Executive Committee of the NDC in the Daboya Mankarigu Constituency has suspended with immediate effect some executives of the party following their anti party and conducts during the just ended Presidential and Parliamentary elections which is against Article 39 of the NDC constitution”.

The letter added that “The decision was taken pursuant to Article 40 of the party’s constitution at a meeting held on 2nd January, 2021 following reports and petition from members of the party. The said individuals have therefore been referred to the disciplinary committee of the party in accordance with the constitution of the party”.

The Constituency and Branch executives involved are Alhaji Yahaya Mohammed Mutala (Constituency Chairman), Sulemana Mohammed Jak (Branch Communications Officer), Achulo Damba Ashagu (Co-opted Member) and Issahaku Takora (Branch Communications Officer).

Others on the suspension list are Nuhu Washibu (Branch Communication Officer), Issah Alidu Branch organiser, Mahama Shaibu (Branch Youth Organiser) and Oldman Moro (Branch Communication Officer).

The rest are Thomas Bahie Forgtah (Branch Secretary), Mohammed Alidu (Branch Organiser) and Attah Hardi (Branch Communication Officer).

The letter further said; “Their membership has been suspended with immediate effect pending the hearing and final determination by the disciplinary committee”.

Earlier Bole based Nkilgi Fm broke the news that the NDC Chairman for the Daboya-Mankarigu constituency of the Savannah Region, Alhaji Yahaya Mohammed Mutala has turned down an invitation by the disciplinary committee of the constituency after a party member petition the committee on the role the Chairman allegedly played in the defeat of the party in a December 7th 2020 general elections.

The Chairman responded to two separate letters inviting him to face the disciplinary committee of the party in the constituency, one signed by the Youth Organiser of the party Mr Shaibu Mahama and one by the Chairman of the disciplinary committee in the constituency Alhaji Mohammed Aminu dated 4th March 2021 and 12th March 2021 respectively.

Alhaji Mohammed Aminu’s letter stated; “Pursuant to Article 40 of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) constitution, we wish to invite you to a hearing on a petition the committee received against you for the role you played in the defeat of the party in a December 7th 2020 general elections. We wish to give you a fair hearing to ascertain the veracity of the issues received in the petition. The committee shall we meeting you at the constituency party office on Friday 12 March 2021 at 9:00 am prompt”.

In Chairman Alhaji Mutala’s response to the Chairman of the disciplinary committee dated 11th March 2021 on the role he played leading to the defeat of the NDC in both the Parliamentary and Presidential elections held on 7th December 2020, he described the purported disciplinary committee letter as a joke, illegal and will not partake in any meeting with them.

Alhaji Mutala said the executive committee of the party never received any petition from any individual of the party in the constituency against him the chairman.

Chairman Mutala further stated that the executive committee of the party in the constituency never appointed he Alhaji Mohammed Amin as the chairman of the party’s disciplinary committee hence his self acclaimed chairmanship is illegal.

He went further to explain that an illegal chairman of the disciplinary committee Alhaji Mohammed Aminu whom the Constituency Chairman addressed in his letter as MASLOC Director for the former Northern region, has no powers to sit on any disciplinary issues of the party in the constituency

He added that no group of persons has petitioned anybody in the party as acting contrary to the party spirit in the constituency hence he sees the letter as the biggest joke ever in his life.

Alhaji Mutala has however promised to face a well constituted committee headed by a legal appointed chairman any day and anytime when the need arises.

“On the basis of these issues including remote ones we are unable to participate in such illegal hearings. We shall however avail ourselves if such committee is properly constituted by the Constituency Executive committee in the Constituency”, the letter from the NDC Chairman for the Daboya-Mankarigu Constituency stated.

The Daboya-Mankarigu Constituency is one of the traditional NDC seats in the Savannah Region for the first time since it was created in 2012 fell to the NPP in the 2020 elections resulting in a blame game within the party.