Impeached Adamawa governor, Nyako, rejects deputy’s resignation

Despite being impeached from office, Tuesday, by lawmakers of the Adamawa State House of Assembly, Murtala Nyako has rejected the resignation of Bala Ngilari, his deputy. Mr. Ngilari, who was also facing impeachment charges alongside Mr. Nyako, had tendered his resignation before the lawmakers, shortly before his principal was removed from office. The Deputy Governor’s resignation letter was read at plenary by the Speaker of the Assembly, Umaru Fintiri, after which the lawmakers approved it. But Mr. Nyako said that the purported resignation was a breach of Section 306 (5) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. “We wish to State categorically that Section 306 (5) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 as Amended requires that the Deputy Governor resigns not to the House of Assembly but to the Governor,” Mr. Nyako said in a statement on Tuesday issued by Ahmad Sajoh, Director. Press and Public Affairs, Governor’s Office. “As at the time the supposed resignation was said to have been tendered in the House, Murtala H. Nyako was the Governor of Adamawa State. No such letter was written to him, none was received by him and none was approved by him. “It should therefore be known that in the eyes of the Law, the Deputy Governor has not resigned. Barr Bala James Ngillari is still the Deputy Governor of Adamawa State. This clarification is necessary to avert another subversion of the Constitution since the other processes relating to the impeachment saga have all been in contravention of the Constitution and the Law. “We wish to observe that continued abuse of the constitution and the laws of the land may spell doom for our democracy,” Mr. Nyako added.