President Mohammadu Buhari

President Muhammadu Buhari has commiserated with the family, government and people of Bauchi State over the death of the former Deputy Governor of the State, Alhaji Garba Gadi,

The President, in a condolence message issued in Abuja on Monday by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Malam Garba Shehu, also condoled with members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state.

He stated that with the death of Gadi, Nigeria had been robbed of one of its “finest men of principle and integrity who set an enviable standard worthy of emulation.’’

He noted that, “despite the negative perception of politicians, there are still honourable men such as Alhaji Garba Gadi.

President Buhari maintained that loyalty was one of Gadi’s greatest quality, adding that the deceased was impeached because he rejected opportunism for the sake of principle, a quality, he said, was “uncommon among our politicians.

The President said he held Gadi in the highest esteem for standing by his principles, in spite of the risks in doing so.

He, therefore, prayed to Allah to forgive the sins of the late Deputy Governor.

It would be recalled that Late Gadi contested the 2007 governorship election with Alhaji Isa Yuguda (former governor of Bauchi state) on the platform of All Nigerian Peoples Party (ANPP), to defeat candidates of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

He was however impeached from office by the Bauchi State House of Assembly on August 13, 2009 based on the recommendation of the report of the seven-man panel constituted by the assembly.

It was widely believed that Gadi was impeached following his refusal to follow Yuguda and members of the State House of Assembly to defect to PDP from the ANPP on whose platform they were elected into office.

A judgment of the High Court presided over by Justice Haruna Tsammamia in June 2010, however, ordered that Gadi should be reinstated into office and all allowances due to him from the time he was removed as Deputy Governor be paid to him.

Tsammamia also ordered Babayo Gamawa, the former Speaker of Bauchi State House of Assembly who presided over the removal of Gadi from office and subsequently elevated to the office of Deputy Governor to vacate the office.

(NAN)