Nyako’s Impeachment: Investigative Panel concludes hearing as governor, deputy fail to appear
Seven-man panel investigating allegations of gross misconduct against the Adamawa State governor, Murtala Nyako, and his deputy, Bala Ngilari, by the state House of Assembly has concluded its public sitting amidst controversy, reports Premium Times.
The panel, which commenced sitting on Friday, according to report rounded off on Saturday with only the complainant (Adamawa Assembly) making an appearance against the respondents (Governor and his Deputy) who failed to appear at the sitting.
The panel, after waiting in vain for representatives of the governor and deputy governor, went ahead to watch a video clip tendered as exhibit and also cross examined the only witness presented by the house, Wafarninyi Theman.
At the Saturday sitting, the counsel to the assembly, Hussaini Maidawa and Leonard Nzadon, who led Mr. Theman in evidence, concluded their respective presentations by urging the panel to take their applications against the governor and deputy governor as a proven case of the allegations raised against them.
In his response, the chairman of the panel, Buba Kaigama, said the panel would take its time to go over the presentations and other evidence provided by the assembly objectively and come out with its position at later date.
“I have forgiven my detractors”
Meanwhile, Nyako on Saturday said he had forgiven all Abuja-based Adamawa politicians who he accused of being the brains behind the impeachment saga.
The governor then enjoined all well-meaning citizens of the state to pray to God to forgive the politicians for all their machinations to polarise the state along ethnic and religious lines.
Nyako, who played host to a group of women, led by Hauwa Abba, that paid a visit to his residence, attributed the impeachment imbroglio to those he described as unpatriotic politicians hiding under the canopy of “elders of the state” to cause disaffection among the good people of the state.
He used the forum to restate his commitment to making a turn -around in the socioeconomic development of the state, saying nothing would discourage him from delivering democracy dividends to the Adamawa people and that he would remain faithful to the social contract with the people.
” I will continue to keep faith with the social contract I have with the people of Adamawa State and nothing will deter me from identifying with the people of Adamawa. They are selfish politicians, who are out to infuse wrong impressions into the downtrodden folks of the state” Nyako said.
The Adamawa Women leader, Mrs. Abba, declared that the women and youth were in the governor’s residence to identify with him.
“No less than 10,000 women and youths have benefitted from the various economic empowerment programmes of Nyako, which have made us to be economically self-reliant, other than dependent on others as economic parasites,” she said.
Mrs. Abba also appealed to those behind the impeachment saga to see reasons as to why they should jettison the move in the interest of the state.
A number of people who spoke at the occasion, identified with Mr. Nyako, pledging their loyalty to him.
The governor’s Special Adviser on Government Affairs, P. Elisha, explained to the gathering that Mr. Nyako declined an appearance at the panel constituted by the Acting Chief Judge of the state, Justice Ambrose Mamadi, because due process of law was not followed in the constitution of the panel.