Tuesday 15 July 2014
Al-Makura Impeachment: Why Another APC gov gets impeachment notice
LEGISLATORS in the Nasarawa State House of Assembly on
Monday adopted alleged impeachment offences to be served on
Governor Tanko Al-Makura.
The development coincided with the submission of the report of
the panel that investigated impeachment allegations against
Adamawa State Governor, Murtala Nyako.
Both Al-Makura and Nyako belong to the opposition All
Progressives Congress.
Speaker of the Nasarawa State House of Assembly, Alhaji Musa
Ahmed, on Monday, directed the Clerk of the House to serve the
governor with notice of impeachment for acts of gross
misconduct.
The Speaker’s directive followed a motion of public interest
raised by the Deputy Majority Leader of the House, Mr.Yahaya
Usman (PDP-Umaisha/Ugya), during the house plenary in Lafia.
The lawmaker presented a document containing allegations of
gross misconduct against the governor, which he said was
signed by 20 of the 24 members of the Assembly.
He said “I am on my feet to raise a motion under a matter of
public interest and I will go direct to read the document I have
in my hand. This is a notice of impeachment of Governor Tanko
Al-Makura of Nasarawa State for gross misconduct.
“And for the violation of the Constitution of the Federal
Republic of Nigeria 1999 as amended, today being the 14th
July, 2014, the 20 members of the 24 members of this House
unanimously endorsed to serve Governor Tanko Al-Makura
notice of impeachment.”
The Chief Whip of the House, Mr. Mohammed Okpede, (PDP-
Doma North), seconded the motion to serve Al-Makura with the
impeachment notice over alleged misconduct.
Alhaji Musa Ahmed (PDP-Nasarawa Central), who doubles as
the Speaker of the House, officially received the impeachment
notice and noted that the House had complied with the
provision of the constitution to serve the governor with an
impeachment notice.
The Speaker subsequently directed the Clerk to serve the
impeachment notice on Al-Makura on Monday.
He said, “While in the event that the governor could not be
reached for service, the clerk is directed to serve him with the
impeachment notice through the media.”
The Chairman, House Committee on Information and Security,
Baba Ibaku, told The PUNCH that the governor had siphoned
state funds and should not be allowed to continue as the chief
security officer of the state.
Ibaku, who represents Loko/Udege constituency, alleged that
Al-Makura had spent over N2bn from the local government
joint account without recourse to due process.
He said the governor allegedly used one Mr. Usman Saraki as a
front to swindle the state of over N800m as a consultant to
SUBEB. He also said over N700m was missing from the SURE-P
accounts.
He said the governor had sacked over 10,000 workers from the
state payroll without following due process.
“The governor has gone beyond his constitutional boundaries
and must face the law like every other Nigerian because he is
not sacrosanct to the constitution of our land,” Ibaku declared.
The state chairman of the APC, Philip Shekwo, said the party
would respond at the appropriate time.
Also reacting to the impeachment notice, the Chairman of the
Peoples Democratic Party in the state, Yunna Iliya, said he had
not been briefed about any impeachment notice to the governor.
In Adamawa, however, the seven-man panel set up by the
former acting Chief Judge of the state, Justice Ambrose
Mamedi, to investigate the alleged gross misconduct levelled
against Nyako and his Deputy, Mr. Bala Ngalari, submitted its
report on Monday.
The report, in four volumes, has been forwarded by the panel
chairman, Mallam Buba Kaigama to the Speaker of the state
House of Assembly, Ahmadu Fintiri.
While receiving the report, the Speaker congratulated members
of the panel for being found worthy of handling such a sensitive
assignment.
Fintiri said, “I assure you the committee members and the
people of Adamawa State that the Assembly will consider the
report meticulously at the plenary in due course before deciding
on the next course of action.”
Earlier while presenting copies of the report to the House,
Kaigama expressed gratitude to the lawmakers for the
opportunity given to him and members of his panel to serve the
state.
The panel chairman lamented that the respondents, namely
Governor Murtala Nyako and his Deputy, Bala Ngilari, did not
show up during the panel’s sitting; neither did they send
representatives.
The outgone acting Chief Judge of the state had constituted the
probe panel to investigate allegations of misconduct against the
governor and his deputy based on a request by the House of
Assembly.
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