Court blocks Nyako’s impeachment

A Yola High Court on Thursday thwarted plans of the Adamawa State House of Assembly to impeach governor of Adamawa State, Muritala Nyako, and his deputy, Mr Bala Ngilari.

Justice Ambrose Mammadi, acting chief judge of the state, who presided over the matter, granted two injunctions against the impeachment filed by Nyako and the Adamawa chapter of the All Progressives Congress ( APC).

Mammadi said the house could not take any action on allegations of gross misconduct against Nyako.

The Adamawa State chapter of APC filed another against three lawmakers who defected from the APC to PDP over their eligibility to take part in the activities of the house.

In his motions, counsel to the governor and APC, Mr Jerry Owe, requested for an order of interim injunction restraining the house or its agents from taking any further action towards impeaching or removing the governor from office, pending the determination of the motion on notice.

Granting the respective motions, Mammadi said he was convinced after hearing the counsel read the motion with the accompanying affidavits.

The interim injunctions, he said, would be effective from June 26 to July 2.

On June 18, the all-PDP house directed its clerk, Mr Francis Gbansenso, to serve Nyako and Ngilari, with notices of 26 allegations deemed to constitute gross misconduct.

The governor immediately travelled out of Yola to Abuja, to escape being served the notice.

After the Yola Airport was immediately closed down to impede his trip out of the state capital, the governor and his entourage made for Gombe by road, from where they connected a flight to Abuja