Former Adamawa State Governor
Murtala Nyako remained defiant yesterday, saying he is ready to defend his
integrity.
Security agencies and the Economic
and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) are after Nyako, who was impeached in
hazy circumstances on Tuesday, but he remains in high spirits, according to an
aide.
Nyako is accused by Acting Governor
Umaru Fintiri of plunging the state into a N6billion debt.
He said the loans he took,
including the controversial N6billion, were approved by the House of Assembly.
Also yesterday, The Nation learnt
that former Deputy Governor Bala James Ngillari was under pressure to go to
court to seek his reinstatement as acting governor “because he was forced to
resign”.
Nyako, who spoke through his
Director of Press and Public Affairs, Ahmad Sajoh, said he had nothing to hide
on his tenure.
He said: “Admiral Murtala Nyako is
ready to defend himself on any allegation in an open court and under a fair
system.
“But he said in a system where
impunity is the order of the day, he cannot get a fair hearing. How do you
expect a goat to get fair hearing in a court presided over by wolves?”
On the alleged N6billion debt left
behind by Nyako administration, Nyako’s spokesman said: “The Acting Governor
has not even settled down; he has not been briefed by those in charge and he is
declaring debts of about N6billion.
“This shows that the Acting
Governor is acting a script. We knew the script was written long ago; they will
release sleaze materials to vilify Nyako. That is why they have sent security
agents and EFCC operatives after him to cast aspersion on Admiral Nyako.
“If Nyako left N6billion debt, all
the loans or debts were approved by the House of Assembly, which was presided
over by the Acting Governor in his capacity as the Speaker. So, you can see
that they are acting a script.
“The whole thing borders on what
Nyako said about how President Goodluck Jonathan is tackling the insurgency in
the country. They were not happy and they decided to remove him from office.
But is he not being vindicated now?”
Ngillari’s plan to go to court is
believed to have the backing of
Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)
chief, including some National Assembly members.
The plot will lead to Fintiri’s
removal.
Investigation by our correspondent
revealed that some stakeholders were unhappy that Ngilari was forced to resign
without following the provision of the 1999 Constitution. A source said:
“Ngillari was either forced or frightened to write the resignation letter by
members of the House of Assembly.
“But they shot themselves in the
foot when they asked him to write the resignation letter to the Speaker,
instead of the governor.
“What happened was that Ngillari,
on Tuesday, wrote the governor on his resignation from office.
“But in their desperation to remove
the former governor, the House of Assembly asked Ngilari to write the Speaker
directly because Nyako was in Abuja and it would take time for him to
communicate Ngillari’s decision to the Assembly.
“Ngilari withdrew the resignation
letter he sent to the governor and wrote a fresh one to the Speaker, which was
a violation of Section 306(5) of 1999 Constitution.”
Sajoh had in a statement said: “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 resign 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 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.
Barrister Bala James Ngillari is still the Deputy Governor of Adamawa State.
“This clarification is necessary to
avert another subversion of the constitution, since the order processes relating
to the impeachment saga have all been in contravention of the constitution and
the law. We wish to observe that the continued abuse of the constitution and
the law of the land will spell doom for our democracy.”
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