There
were indications last night that the impeached governor of Adamawa State,
Murtala Nyako, might be arrested by security agents and charged to court for
alleged treason.
While the treason charges against the former
governor is billed to take off in one court, the Economic & Financial
Crimes Commission, EFCC, would be prosecuting Nyako in another court for
allegedly looting funds of the state said to have been stashed in a local bank.
The governor and the North-East Region manager of
the said bank will be charged with another top official of Adamawa State
Government, who is being held by the anti-graft agency for aiding and abetting
the looting.
A competent security source told Vanguard that the
Presidency has already ordered the Attorney-General of the Federation and
Minister of Justice, Mohammed Adoke, to file treason charges against the
governor, who lost his plum job yesterday.
The charges, according to the source, had been
prepared by the Federal Government even before the impeachment process against
Nyako started and would merely be completed with the governor’s removal from
office.
Nyako to face treason charges
Findings by Vanguard revealed that Nyako is to be
tried specifically for levying war against Nigeria and inciting Nigerians and
the international community against the person of President Goodluck Jonathan
by accusing Jonathan of committing genocide against Northerners under the guise
of fighting terrorism.
One of the sources said: “The AGF is ready with the
treason charges against Nyako, who never showed any remorse over his letter to
the Northern Governors Forum and refused to retract the contents and apologise
even when he had the opportunity to do so.
“The AGF has since been directed to file treason
charges against the governor, who was fired by the Adamawa State House of
Assembly on Tuesday (yesterday) because what he did was levying war against the
nation and inciting the world against President Jonathan.
“If the former governor is lucky, he will survive
the legal onslaught against him but he may be in for many years in jail if
convicted for his indiscretion and deliberate action to malign the President of
Nigeria,” the source said.
Why Presidency dumped Ngilari
On why the Presidency withdrew its earlier support
for the Deputy Governor to succeed Nyako, the source explained that Ngilari
lost out because he tried to join forces with Nyako and work against the
interest of the PDP stakeholders in the state.
He explained that Ngilari lost the support of the Presidency
and the PDP stakeholders in the state when it was discovered that he had
accepted to take over from Nyako and make Nyako’s son his deputy.
“Ngilari lost out when the Presidency got
information that he had reached an agreement with Nyako to resign for him to
take over as governor and make his son deputy governor so as to continue to
protect the former governor’s interests. He thought he was smart,” the source
said.
Vanguard further learnt that Ngilari, a Christian,
was prevented from succeeding Nyako, a Muslim, so as not to stoke
ethno-religious crisis in the state and worsen the security problem in the
North-East.
His removal from office notwithstanding, Nyako
remained boisterous, yesterday, insisting that he accepted the action against
him in good faith, as it was merely a judgment by man and not God.
The former governor said: “All praise be to Allah.
We accept what has happened. This is the judgment of man; we should all
remember that there is God’s judgment in the hereafter”.
Apparently hinging his hope on his move to challenge
the impeachment process against him, Nyako urged his supporters to remain calm
and law-abiding, as the matter was far from being over.
Ngilari hasn’t resigned — Nyako
In spite of that, Nyako disagreed with the claim by
the House of Assembly that Ngilari had resigned his position as deputy
governor, arguing that the law required the deputy governor to submit his
resignation letter to the governor and not the House of Assembly.
Nyako argued that he was still the governor of Adamawa
State at the time Ngilari was said to have submitted his resignation letter to
the Speaker of the state House of Assembly in contravention of Section 306 (5)
of the 1999 Constitution.
Nyako, who spoke through his Director of Press and
Public Affairs, Mr. Ahmed Sajoh, said: “Our attention has been drawn to the
purported resignation of the Deputy Governor of Adamawa State, Barr Bala James
Ngilari, which was supposedly read on the floor of the State House of Assembly.
“We wish to State categorically that Section 306 (5)
of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 as Amended requires
that the Deputy Governor resigns not to the House of Assembly but to the
Governor.
“As at the time the supposed resignation was said to
have been tendered in the House, Murtala H. Nyako was the Governor of Adamawa
State. No such letter was written to him, none was received by him and none was
approved by him.
“It should, therefore, be known that in the eyes of
the Law, the Deputy Governor has not resigned. Barr. Bala James Ngilari is
still the Deputy Governor of Adamawa State.
“This clarification is necessary to avert another
subversion of the Constitution since the other processes relating to the
impeachment saga have all been in contravention of the Constitution and the
Law. We wish to observe that continued abuse of the constitution and the laws
of the land may spell doom for our democracy,” Nyako’s spokesman said.
How Nyako was impeached
The removal of the governor by the State House of
Assembly followed the adoption of the report of the seven-man investigation
panel set up by the former Adamawa State Acting Chief Judge, Justice Ambrose
Mammadi to investigate alleged gross misconduct levelled against the removed
governor and his Deputy.
At yesterday’s plenary session, the Speaker of the
Assembly, Mr Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri read the report of the panel to the members,
and quoted section 18(a) of the Constitution which gives the House 14 days
within which to deliberate on the report.
Mr Jerry Kundusi representing Gombi Constituency
then moved a motion that since the House has the required 2/3 Majority, it
should commence debate on the panel’s report immediately.
Mr Kwamote La’on representing Numan Constituency
supported the motion and there was no dissenting voice, while the House
immediately commenced debate on the report.
At this point, the Speaker called each of the
signatories to the impeachment process to confirm their signature in order to
ensure the 2/3 majority needed is attained.
17 of the 25-member House of Assembly affirmed that
their signatures were authentic and they stood by it.
At this juncture, the report of the panel was read
by the Speaker to the members specifying the 20 charges preferred against
Nyako.
Four of the allegations were, however, dropped by
the panel for lack of merit.
After being found guilty of 16 out of the 20-count
charges, the Deputy Speaker moved a motion seconded by Jerry Kundisi that the
House adopt the report of the panel.
Consequently, the Speaker of the House, Ahmadu Umaru
Fintiri stated that the House has satisfied section 18 (9) of the Constitution,
and that he, therefore, had no alternative than to declare the office of the Governor
of Adamawa State vacant.
The Deputy Speaker also moved a motion, seconded by
Jerry Kundisi that since the Deputy Governor has resigned, the Speaker should
be sworn in as Acting Governor.
The House in session unanimously directed the
President of Adamawa Customary Court, in the absence of the Chief Judge to
swear in the Speaker as Acting Governor for three months before an election is
conducted to fill in the vacant office of the Governor of Adamawa State.
Before the commencement of the house plenary
session, the speaker read a letter from deputy governor, Bala James Ngilari
announcing his voluntary resignation.
In their reactions, Adamawa PDP stakeholders,
described the impeachment as the best thing to happen in Adamawa State.
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