Hon Adamu Usman Bamaraya, a former deputy chairman of Shira local government who was sacked alongside his Chairman, has filed a lawsuit to demand for his reinstatement, cancellation of by-election and compensation.
Bamaraya, while addressing pressmen on Saturday, said that he was not invited to appear before any panel of inquiry or tribunal and was not given fair hearing to defend himself against any allegation as required by Section 20 (7) of the Local Government Law and section 36 of the 1999 Constitution.
The plaintiff said that he learnt of his removal from office in a facebook publication titled, “Resolution to remove the Chairman of Shira Local Government Council (Hon. Abdullahi Ibrahim Beli) and Deputy Chairman (Hon. Adamu Usman) from office, signed by councillor, Andubun Ward, Hon. Abdullahi Wada.
Bamaraya explained that he thwarted the efforts of the stakeholders who wanted to force him to resign from his seat, and as a result of his refusal to resign, the stakeholders through the Shira Divisional Police Officer (DPO) arrested him and took him to a Correctional Centre where he spent seven days without trial before he was bailed out.
He later learned that a by-election had been scheduled for May 24, 2025, to fill both the chairman and deputy chairman positions.
In response, Bamaraya filed a legal suit seeking an immediate halt to the planned by-elections by the Bauchi State Independent Electoral Commission (BASIEC), his reinstatement as Deputy Chairman of Shira LGA, and to punish the individuals who arrested and imprisoned him for over one week for refusing to sign a resignation letter, among other demands.
The defendants listed in the suit include the Shira Local Government Council, the Bauchi State House of Assembly, the Bauchi State Independent Electoral Commission (BASIEC), and all councillors representing Shira LGA.
On March 3, 2025, the Legislative Council of Shira Local Government removed both the Chairman, Abdullahi Ibrahim Beli, and his Deputy, Usman Adamu, citing allegations of gross misconduct, financial mismanagement, dereliction of duty, and abuse of office.
In line with this, Bauchi State Independent Electoral Commission (BASIEC) has scheduled by-elections for May 24, 2025, to fill the vacancies.
The Chairman of BASIEC, Ahmed Makama, stated that the commission received official communication declaring the vacancies, triggering its legal obligation to hold elections within 14 days.
“We received correspondence informing us that a vacancy exists in the offices of the Chairman and Deputy Chairman in Shira Local Government. As a commission, we are duty-bound to conduct an election to fill those vacancies,” Makama said.
He noted that the Bauchi State Electoral Law (2008) mandates that by-elections must be held within 14 days once a vacancy is officially declared.
