President Jonathan seeks approval to sack Nasarawa commissioner from Federal Character Commission

President Goodluck Jonathan has asked for the permission of the senate to sack Muhammadu Gwaska, the commissioner representing Nasarawa State in the Federal Character Commission for series of “gross misconducts.”

In a letter to the President of the Senate, David Mark, on Wednesday, the president complained that Mr. Gwaska has “consistently refused to respect lawful directives, absented himself from duty without authorisation, unlawfully retained two official cars and some strategic official files of the commission in his private custody, and has remained unwilling to subject himself to constituted authority.”

According to the president, Mr. Gwaska’s actions have created an “un-conducive atmosphere for the commission” which may lead to rancour in the system and affect service delivery.

The president is seeking the senate’s approval before sacking Mr. Gwaska because both the 1999 constitution and the Federal Character Commission’s establishment act require majority vote of the senate to sack any commissioner in the commission.

Mr. Gwaska was, until October this year, the acting chairman of the commission. His relationship with both the president and the commission strained after the president, in August, unilaterally reinstated the former chairman of the commission, Wahab Oba, who had left the commission to unsuccessfully contest the Kwara state governorship elections in April.