Nyako: Impeachment panel begins sitting

Despite the declaration of Monday and Tuesday as public holiday by Adamawa Governor Murtala Nyako ─ allegedly to undercut the impeachment process ─ the investigative panel has been inaugurated and has started sitting.

The acting chief judge of the state, Justice Ambrose Mammadi, appointed the panel of seven persons to investigate the allegations of corruption and gross misconduct against the governor on Friday.

The date of inauguration was not made public, although TheCable reported that it was going to be on Monday.

TheCable also reported that the impeachment could be completed “within 10 days”, quoting a lawmaker who declined identification.

The state government on Sunday declared Monday and Tuesday work-free to allow the citizens of the state to “pray and reflect” on the situation in the state.

It was thought that the public holiday would make it impossible for the panel to be inaugurated, but the registrar of the state high court, Abubakar Babayola, said on Monday that the inauguration was not in breach of the constitution because “it is purely an administrative matter”.

The committee is chaired by Buba Kaimaga with other members being Laraba Hassan, Njidda Kito, Joshua Abu, Binanu Esthon, Sa’ad Lawan and Esthon Gapsiso.

Kaimaga is described as a man of “impeccable character” by a retired general from the state who spoke with TheCable.

The all-PDP house of assembly is made of 25 members, 20 of whom signed the impeachment notice.

Nyako defected to APC last year, while his deputy, Bala Ngilari, is still in the PDP, but both are being served with impeachment notices.

“Ngilari too has a case to answer,” an Adamawa lawmaker told TheCable.

But, according to other sources, the inclusion of Ngilari has a more muted political undertone because it would mean a Christian becoming the governor of the state “by default” for the second time since 1999.

Boni Haruna, a Christian, was elected deputy governor in 1999, but the choice of the governor-elect, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, as vice-president by Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, who was then the PDP presidential candidate, led to Haruna being sworn in as the governor.

He served for eight years.