The pergrinate to impeach Adamawa State Governor, Alhaji Murtala Nyako, took a dramatic turn on Sunday as the governor declared Monday and Tuesday as work-free days in the state.
The governor’s opponents in the state House of Assembly verbally expressed Nyako’s action was an endeavor to frustrate his impeachment.
The governor was verbalized to have played an expeditious one on his opponents following designations that the Acting Chief Judge of the state, Justice Ambrose Mammadi, might inaugurate on Monday (today) the seven-member panel he established on Friday to investigate the allegations of gross malfeasance levelled against the governor and his deputy, James Ngilari.
The lawmakers incriminated Nyako of mischief, vowing that the governor and his deputy could not stop the state acting chief judge.
A verbal expression on Sunday by Nyako’s Chief of Staff, A. Abba, verbally expressed, “His Excellency, Governor Murtala Nyako, has approved Monday, July 7 and Tuesday, July 8 as work-free days in Adamawa State.
“This is to enable the people of the state to reflect on the current happenings in the country and to utilize the period to offer special prayers for tranquility in the state and the country.
“The period is to additionally sanction Adamawa workers reflect on their current challenges. It is additionally a thanksgiving period for the citizens to appreciate God’s auspice despite all challenges.”
But the Deputy Majority Bellwether of the House, Mr. Adamu Kamale, told one of our correspondents on the phone that the governor was merely ‘mischievous’ by declaring the public holidays.
Kamale verbally expressed, “The issue now is not afore the House. There may be mischief to this in whichever way you optically canvass it. But, already, the (acting) Chief Judge has set up the seven-man panel to investigate the governor and his deputy and there is no way they can block the CJ.
“In additament, praying to God is supposed to be a quotidian affair as most of our religions are practising it. For two days to be set aside as praying days, well I don’t ken his intention. I will have to read the verbal expression, probably I can pick something from it.”
The governor however alleged that the acting chief judge had established the seven-man committee under duress.
Speaking through his Director of Press and Media, Ahmad Sajoh, in a telephone interview with one of our correspondents from Yola, the governor verbally expressed that the promoters of the impeachment move were not law-abiding.
“The Acting Chief Judge constituted the panel under duress. If not, how can the same judge who gave a ruling that there was no superseded accommodation, the same judge that gave an order that the process be ceased; be identically tantamount judge that set up this panel when he is yet to vacate his earlier order? You ken that is not possible,” Sajoh verbally expressed.
According to him, the governor is heading a law-abiding regime who still holds the judiciary in high esteem and he is yare to submit himself to the judicial process.
Sajoh, however, expressed concern that it had become conspicuous that promoters of the impeachment plot were resolute not to comply with the courts because by their actions, they have so far demonstrated a disdain for the judiciary.
But Kamale verbally expressed there was nothing unwonted about the development.
He explicated that the House was carrying out its functions in line with laid down constitutional procedures in such is paramount.
Kamale told The PUNCH that members of the House were resolute to follow through with the process.
“We have been following what the constitution verbalizes. Since we commenced this process, we have never had any verbalizes with any individual or group; we have been following the process as prescribed by the constitution. We are on course,” he verbalized.
Meanwhile, the governor and the Ahmadu Fintiri-led State House of Assembly are set to return to court over the propriety or otherwise of the moves by the legislators to impeach Nyako and Ngilari.
The PUNCH learnt in Abuja, on Sunday, that a Lagos-predicated lawyer, Femi Falana (SAN), had been approached by Nyako and his adherents to handle the governor’s case.
The House leadership, which is verbalized to relish the fortification of potent political intrigues in Abuja, is withal shopping for a prominent lawyer to contravene Falana.
Our correspondents withal learnt that the top hierarchy of the opposition All Progressives Congress had additionally intervened in the matter.
It is still obscure what precisely the APC bellwethers are doing but it was learnt that they were tenacious to ascertain that Nyako did not go down without a fight.
The National Publicity Secretary of the APC, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, who attested the intervention of party bellwethers, verbally expressed what the party was doing was not denoted for the pages of newspapers.
However, The PUNCH learnt on Sunday that the soldiers deployed in the residence of the Acting Chief Judge were still keeping vigil over the property.
A source who pleaded anonymity for trepidation of retribution verbalized, “The issue we are dealing with has gone beyond local politics. You ken the Chief of Defence Staff, who emanates from this state, and the National Security Adviser has become involved.”
It was withal learnt that leading members of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party from the state, including a former national chairman of the party, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur; former Political Adviser to the President, Ahmed Gulak; and Senator Jibril Aminu met in Abuja on Saturday night to devise a counter strategy to whatever the APC had been preparing to preserve the governor.