Niger State deputy governor, Hon. Ahmed Musa Ibeto yesterday faulted claims by the state governor Dr. Mu’azu Babangida Aliyu that his absence in the state informed the appointment of the Speaker of the House of Assembly as the Acting Governor of the state. Ibeto who defected from Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to All Progressive Party (APC) last month was denied to serve as acting governor when Aliyu left for Lesser Hajj on Wednesday, rather he asked the Speaker, Barrister Adamu Usman to act under the guise that the deputy travelled. The deputy governor told newsmen in his Tunga residence in Minna, the state capital on Friday that he has always been in town. “I want to say with all emphasis that I never travelled. I have been in Minna and I was in Minna the day the governor travelled”. The deputy governor who was reacting to a statement by the governor through his Chief Press Secretary, Israel Ebije, that the decision to make the Speaker acting governor was on account of Ibeto’s absence. The statement further said that the deputy governor had travelled for lesser Haj since Monday. Ibeto who described the appointment of the Speaker unconstitutional said he has never travelled out of the town talk less of out of the country without the express permission of the governor. He stated that he was surprised at the position of the governor, arguing that the deputy chief of staff in Government House, Hon. Saba that work directly with him knew he has been in town and wondered why the governor would want to tell the world what was not. Ibeto recalled that he had apply for permission to use 15 days of his leave to travel but the application was never acknowledged or approved. “I wrote 3 weeks ago for permission to use 15 days of my leave to travel to Dubai, UK and for Lesser Hajj. I wrote another when I did not hear anything but I gathered my application is still on my boss table untreated. I don’t know where the story of my leaving the country came about. “A Journalist called to ask me yesterday (Thursday) if I am in town and I told him I was not only in town, I was in my sitting room. It was only on Monday that I went to Abuja for a party meeting, returned same day and have been in Minna all this while,” Ibeto stated. The deputy governor also said that despite repeated assurances that his rights and privileges will not be denied for dumping the ruling party complained that government had started to order the withdrawal of his personal aides who are civil servants. According to Ibeto, “Though, I have not been denied anything neither have I been stopped from entering my office only that my personal aide, a civil servant was withdrawn and I graciously release the officer”.
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