Adamawa’s Impeachment: Nyako to be confronted by Probe panel to today

YOLA—The seven-member panel probing Governor Murtala Nyako’s alleged maladministration is expected to return to work today and may raise issues concerning his refusal to honour its invitation. The panel had pasted the summons asking the governor to appear before it on the walls of the Government House in Yola on Wednesday and fixed today as the return hearing date for the governor, who returned to the state on Thursday morning but shunned the panellists. The governor had given the indication that he would not appear before the panel, having gone to court to challenge the way and manner the members had violated the laws regarding the process of impeaching him and his deputy, James Ngilari. The governor is relying on a Supreme Court ruling which provides that he should be personally served the impeachment notice, since in the eyes of the law, substituted service is not deemed as sufficient. A copy of the summons, which was pasted on the Government House walls in Yola and obtained by Vanguard yesterday, has been dismissed by the governor as a non-service. The summons dated July 9 and signed by the Secretary of the Panel, Mr. Binanu Esthon, had ordered the governor to appear before it. A copy of the notice on the wall of the Government House, Yola read in part; “Upon hearing A.K. Jingi Esq, Counsel to the panel and upon reading the provision of order 6 rule 4(1) (d) of the Adamawa High Court (civil procedure) rule 2013 and order 9 rule 1 of the Adamawa State House of Assembly, the panel of investigation rules procedure, the oral application for substituted service on the respondent with the hearing notice and all other processes of this panel is granted. “The panel therefore orders as follows: i)That the hearing notice and all other processes of panel on the respondent Murtala Nyako, GCON, Governor Adamawa State shall be served by pasting on the main entrance of Adamawa Government House. ii)That the photographs of the hearing notice of any other processes on the main gate entrance of the Adamawa Government shall be taken and file in the registry of the panel. iii) That the return date for the matter shall be Friday 11th day of July 2014. Dated this 9th day of July 2014.” By Soni Daniel, Northern Region Editor