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Probe panel indicts him, deputy
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Gov Al-Makura gets impeachment notice
The stage is now set for the Adamawa State House of Assembly to impeach Governor Murtala Nyako over alleged gross misconduct as the panel, which investigated the 15 charges levelled against him has found him guilty of most of them.
His deputy, Bala James Ngilari, will also be fired as the seven-man panel, which submitted its report to the legislature yesterday in Yola, the state capital, found them guilty of the offences levelled against them.
The committee was inaugurated by the state’s former Acting Chief Judge, Justice Ambrose Mammadi, following the House serving the impeachment notice on him.
The gale of impeachment also spread to Nasarawa State yesterday, as 20 of the 24 members of the House of Assembly served an impeachment notice on Governor Umaru Tanko Al-Makura.
An aide of Governor Al-Makura, who reacted to the development, said each of the lawmakers got N30million to remove his boss.
Members of the Adamawa probe panel arrived at the state House of Assembly Complex at 2:20pm under an impregnable security provided by stern-looking soldiers who wielded AK 47 assault rifles.
Its chairman, Mallam Buba Kaigama, who presented the report to the Speaker, Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri, said the committee had discharged its mandate and had compiled a comprehensive report for the scrutiny of the lawmakers.
It was learnt that the lawmakers who are on recess, will reconvene today ostensibly to consider the report.
Section 188 sub-section 9 of the 1999 Constitution as amended, stipulates that “Where the report of the panel is that the allegation against the holder of the office has been proved, then within 14 days of the receipt of the report, the House of Assembly shall consider the report, and if by a resolution of the House of Assembly supported by not less than two-thirds majority of all its members, the report of the panel will be adopted; then the holder of the office shall stand removed from office as from the date of adoption of the report.”
Kaigama said both the governor and his deputy were given the opportunity to respond to the allegations of gross misconduct against them in line with the mandate of the committee but refused to appear during its two-day sitting.
“The panel is submitting its report in accordance with Section 188 subsection 5 of the 1999 Constitution as amended. Despite the initial hitches, we were able to conduct our sittings and both the governor and his deputy were given the opportunity to respond to their allegations levelled against them but they refused,”
He hinted that the panel admitted six exhibits concerning the deputy governor and 24 exhibits against the governor, adding that the committee prepared its report in four volumes which include letters of appointment of members, proceedings, exhibits tendered and the report.
Although he did not disclose the outcome of the panel’s investigation, Nigerian Pilot learnt that it did not favour Governor Nyako.
Kaigama said that he had nothing to fear because he believed that posterity would judge him right having done his best to ensure fairness to all parties.
The Speaker immediately stormed out of the House as soon as the report was presented to him. A member of the House told Nigerian Pilot that Fintiri’s action might not be unconnected to speculations that the panel absolved the deputy governor who hails from the same ward with him, a development that could foil his political ambition. A lawmaker however said that Ngilari was not cleared by the panel.
Meanwhile, members of Nasarawa State House of Assembly have directed the Clerk of the House to serve an impeachment notice on Governor Al-Makura over allegations of gross misconduct.
The Speaker, Hon. Musa Ahmed Mohammed, gave the directive following a motion of public interest raised by the Deputy Majority Leader, Hon. Yahaya (PDP), who represents Umaisha/Ugya constituency.
On July 3, 2014 Nigerian Pilot reported that the lawmakers met in a hotel in Abuja to perfect work on the impeachment of Al-Makura.
The lawmaker, who presented a document containing the charges against the governor during the House’s plenary in Lafia, the state capital, told his colleagues that the document was already signed by 20 of the 24-member House.
He maintained that “I am not only on my feet to raise a motion under matters of public interest and I will go direct to read the document I have in my hand. This is a notice of impeachment on Governor Tanko Al-Makura of Nasarawa State for gross misconduct.”
The motion was seconded by Hon. Mohammed Okpede (PDP-Doma North constituency) and Chief Whip of the House, who said he also supported it.
Ahmed (Speaker), after officially receiving the impeachment notice, averred that the House had complied with the provisions of relevant sections of the constitution hence, the directive to serve Governor Al-Makura the notice.
Lawmakers received N30m each–Gov’s Aide
In a swift reaction, the Special Adviser on Special Duties to the Governor, Barr. Mohammed Abdullahi, has accused some unseen hands in the Presidency of being behind the impeachment notice, adding that they were using proxies which included a minister from Nasarawa State, some National Assembly members from the state and a point-man from the South-South.
Abdullahi said these selfish individuals sold the impeachment dummy to the Presidency to enable the PDP reclaim the governorship of the state. It is rumoured that the point-man disbursed N30million monetary inducement to the 20 lawmakers.
The special assistant, who said that information reaching the state, indicated that the inducement was given to the lawmakers in dollars on Sunday.