•Governor Bago of Niger State
The Chairman of Chanchaga Local Government Council (LGC), Niger State, Alhaji Aminu Yakubu Ladan has been suspended by the legislative council over alleged misappropriation and mismanagement of public funds.
The suspension of Hon. Aminu Yakubu Ladan is coming days after he took the state government and the Niger State Independent Electoral Commission (NSIEC) to court to challenge alleged plot to cut short the tenure of Local Government Chairman before the expiration of their tenure, reports Daily Independent.
Ladan, last week announced his resolve to stop the state government from going on with local government elections scheduled for November, a development that is said to be an affront against the governor’s already concluded plans ahead of the 2027 political direction.
After approaching the court, Ladan posted a picture of himself and his legal team captioned: “As Executive Chairman of Chanchaga Local Government, we have taken legal action against the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and NSIEC to halt the planned November election.
“Our tenure is constitutionally four years, not three years, following the Supreme Court verdict. I pray that justice prevails”.
However, a memo from the Legislative Council of Chanchaga Local Government, dated July 28, 2025, conveying the resolutions of the councillors listing nine sins against the chairman, declared him suspended.
The suspension order titled, “Notice of Suspension against Hon. Aminu Yakubu Ladan, the Executive Chairman Chanchaga Local Government Area”, was signed by eight out of 10 Councillors, cited Niger State Local Government Law, Cap. 77, Sections 24, 26, 31, 38, and 39, as the legal basis for their action.
The order amongst others accused the chairman of, “Gross misconduct and misappropriation of council funds contravenes section 38(1)(a) of the Local Government law, which stipulates that council funds must be expended strictly for approved purposes and with due process.
The chairman according to the order also illegally allocated spaces in the market, said to be a clear abuse of office and violation of Land allocation regulations, contrary to section 24(1)(a), which requires the council to act transparently in land related matters.
The chairman is also said to have refused the Directors from appearing before the Legislative Council: in breach of section 26 of the Local Government Law, which mandates executive appointees to honour summons by the legislature for oversight functions.
Also, “Lack of Accountability on Minna Development Funds: failure to present periodic reports and financial breakdowns on key development allocations, contrary to the principles of transparency under the fiscal responsibility framework and section 38(1)(4)”.
The document which was signed by the Councillors on the same July 28 also accused Ladan of, “Incompetence and non-adherence to rule of law: the Chairman has demonstrated consistent inability to uphold provisions of the law, undermining good governance and service delivery”.
The order which also accused the chairman of refusing to honour invitations to appear before the legislature however mandated that he within five working days submit his defense on the allegations to the Clerk.
They also alleged that he failed to provide Council’s Statement of Accounts to legislators contrary to section 38(1)(a) which mandates executives to provide financial statements to the legislative body at specified intervals.
The notice is signed by; Yahuza Saidu (Makera Ward), Abdulrahman Suleiman (Limawa ‘A’), Yusuf Suleiman (Nassarawa ‘A’), Hon. Aliyu Mohammed (Minna Central), Yahaya Usman (Tudun Wada South), Abubakar Abdullahi Abdullahi (Tudun Wada North), Ahmad Adamu Luya (Sabon Gari), and Rabiu Abubakar (Limawa ‘B’), while the Majority Leader representing Minna South Ward and his counterpart in Nasarawa ‘B’ Ward did not sign.
Recall that the last Local Government Council primaries by the ruling All Progressive Congress (APC) was in the state surrounded in controversy over choices of candidates between Governor Bago and the electorates.
Governor Bago is said to have nominated and appointed his loyalists against popular candidates, and this according to findings raised discordant questions about the APC and its claimed democratic principles.
