The Nation Newspaper

Tag: impeachment

  • Impeachment, credibility and security

    IN Nigeria this week the big news was the swift impeachment of Adamawa state Governor Murtala Nyako, his disappearance into hiding and the impending impeachment of Governor Tanko Al – Makura, in Nasarawa state where the legislators in that state have adopted the route taken by the Adamawa state house of Assembly in routing Nyako from office with brazen impunity. Of course the charges against Nyako were corruption charges and in the declared war by the federal government against corruption this would seem a step in the right direction in the anti corruption drive of the Federal government. But the there is infinitely more to the impeachment drive and charges than meets the eye as a cloud of credibility ominously darkens the horizon in this regard.

    First, the governors of both Adamawa and Nasarawa namely Murtala Nyako and Tanko Al Makura were allies of the Nigerian president and leader of the ruling PDP before they defected to the newly founded opposition APC which for now is the major headache of the PDP as it prepares for the 2015 elections in which the incumbent President is expected to declare his candidature any time from now. The impeachment drive would therefore seem like a good weapon for now to kill two birds with one stone for the ruling party. The first objective is to maim the opposition by crippling its number of state governors using impeachment as a weapon of power acquisition at and intimidation state level and political control nationally. The second is to assert at the federal level like the late Murtala Muhammed usually said in the anti corruption rhetoric that characterised his purge of the civil service then, – ‘this administration will not tolerate indiscipline, this administration will not condone abuse of office. ‘ So in effect then for Nigerian governors in the opposition the fear of impeachment is the beginning of wisdom as we head towards the 2015 presidential, state and gubernatorial elections. But then the PDP or the Federal government has forgotten that those who live in glass houses should not throw stones and that in the two pronged strategy it had adopted in winning the 2015 elections, namely military policing of elections and impeachment of opposition governors, it is behaving like the proverbial ostrich that buried its head in the sand thinking that nobody can see its body. Which is such silly folly which I will illustrate vividly here today with some events that happened just this week.

    These events were first the reaction of the international community to the Nigerian president’s $Ibn request to the National Assembly to approve for the upgrade of the equipment of the Nigerian Army to fight the menace of terrorism plaguing Nigeria called Boko Haram. The second was the reaction of former Minister of Defence retired General Theophilus Danjuma to the setting up of another massive fund namely Victims Support Fund to take care of the victims of the Boko Haram horror and their dependants. The third was the visit of the French President Francois Hollandeto West Africa, first to Ivory Coast, and Nigeria’s north easterly neighbours Niger Republic and Chad.

    Definitely I intend to use these events to illustrate the title of the day and show that the world at large is not deceived by the dubious fight against corruption in Nigeria and that that people can see through the veiled, kid’s glove being used to fight terrorism and are ready to counter this approach rather than sink with it.

    Let us start with the $ 1bn request for military equipment by first admitting that the expenditure is indeed very much required and needed. But what of the time and manner of its presentation? That certainly was in bad taste and a danger to our collective security. This was a request that should have been made confidentially to a closed joint session of the National Assembly and not on the public domain as was done Now the contents of the expenditure and the stated need of them can only gladden the stony and bloody hearts of Boko Haram as an admission by the government that the terrorist have really vanquished the Nigerian military such that it is now scavenging for funds to fight terrorism both at home and abroad. The public presentation can also dampen the morale of our military who are risking their lives to protect all of us as they would be wondering what to expect of them between now when they are ill equipped and the time the equipment would arrive for their use. To me this was like telling the terrorists to wait till our military is ready for confrontation with them which smirks of benign, avoidable negligence and a form of surrender which was not intended in the making of the public request for expenditure.

    Unfortunately as I was typing this piece I got the news that that National Assembly has gone on its usual two month vacation and is due to resume in September without considering the president’s urgent request for the $ 1bn to fight Boko Haram ,and this raises further questions. Do the Federal legislators not believe the urgency in the request? or do they not believe that the money will be used for the purposes stated? or again, is it the case that they not take the issue of Boko Haram serious enough that they can leave their approval hanging till September by which time the Chibok girls may still be missing because the military is not equipped to fight Boko Haram or find the 200 abducted Chibok girls? A sickening stench of levity and nonchalance reverberates around this urgent and unattended $Ibn request of the president and the legislators certainly owe the Nigerian public and electorate an explanation if and when they resume in September.

    For now one needs to compare this apparent legislative neglect with the pungency and urgency in the speech credited to retired General Theophilus Danjuma before the Nigerian president at the setting up of the Victims Support Fund Committee to get funds for Boko Haram victims. General Danjuma reportedly said that the war against Boko Haram was taking too long and that he called it a civil war before but people thought he did not know what he was saying and the they called it insurgency. Danjuma said the committe will not go to the Sambisa forest where the terrorists are operating except the President is ready to lead them there a Commander in Chief. Danjuma said the war should be won immediately as Boko Haram seem to be having the upper hand for now. Obviously, Danjuma a Nigerian Civil war hero knows what he has seen and heard on the handling of the Boko Haram crisis and if he had his way, given his utterances before the president, he would not be seen dead with the present approach in high places to contain this bloody terrorism destroying Nigeria so brazenly before our very eyes, like Wole Soyinka would have said.

    This Danjuma warning can also be compared with the views of our American friends especially in their Congressional hearings where US legislators are treated to information that the Nigeria military is so corrupt that the huge $6bn budget for defence has been diverted for non military purposes by the the top brass such that not enough money gets to the battle front to buy arms and ammunition for fighting terrorism. The authorities in Nigeria should debunk such information publicly and urgently if they are not true instead of keeping mute and thinking that such stories will just go away.

    Definitely they will spread like a virus on the internet instead. Next the visit of French President Francois Hollande to Ivory Coast, Niger and Chad on security matters has a story on Nigeria’s strategy on fighting security and terrorism in the region.

    President Hollande at our Centenary Celebration promised to help Nigeria fight terrorism but he has not gone to sleep over it. If anything the French have decided to take the bull by the horn and not go to sleep while there is obvious fire on their thatched roof in the region and that is why their president is on site to see things for himself. The French certainly have serious concern on terrorism in the Sahel and that is why their president will visit Niger and Chad our neighbours in the NE of Nigeria. Given the latest vacillation and delay in approving expenditure to equip our military there is every likelihood that France will give equipment and military aid to Niger and Chad such that Boko Haram will flee those nations and intensify its death grip on our NE states.

    Before, our military usually pursued terrorists on our borders in the North East far into Chad and Niger with impunity that put the fear of God into such terrorists such that they never return.

    Nowadays the reverse is the case as our borders have become porous such that Boko Haram, like Danjuma lamented, now choose where and when to strike in our entire North East of six states with three under a state of Emergency. Obvously the French are not forgetting their former colonies because of deep economic and historical ties. Their president is in our backyard in the region to show the Francophone nations that they are not alone in fighting terrorism especially as the giant they usually relied on to take the lead has for now developed feet of clay. Definitely the French policy on fighting terrorism in the three nations their president is visiting is that a stitch in time saves nine which is infinitely far superior for regional security than delayed expenditure on urgent military equipment and legislative vacation in the middle of a civil war that we still call insurgency.

  • Three die as Nasarawa youths clash over impeachment threat

    Three die as Nasarawa youths clash over impeachment threat

    Ethnic clashes erupted yesterday in in Lafia, the Nasarawa State capital, over the impeachment notice filed again Governor Tanko Al-Makura by the House of Assembly.

    Youths of Eggon and Gwandara ethnic tribes engaged in a fight on the streets. Many were injured.

    Channels television reported last night that no fewer than three people were killed during the protest.

    According to the report, two bodies were seen in a security van, their legs hanging. Some arrests were also made.  Military men were drafted to keep the peace as the protesters demanded that the House of Assembly should leave Governor Al Makura alone.

    Channels quoted police spokesperson Numan Umar as saying that he was yet to confirm the casualty figure but referred reporters to the B division of the Police which was under heavy military presence yesterday.

    Governor Al-Makura is from Gwandara. Information Minister Labaran Maku is an Eggon.

    It was gathered that some armed  Gwandara youths set ablaze a house belonging to an Eggon man at old Al’mis market. They also burnt his car. The house bore Maku’s governorship campaign posters.

    Nasarawa police spokesman Ismaila Numaan confirmed the development, saying the house was burnt early yesterday but he could not however confirm who was responsible.

    A youth with a deep machete cut in his arm, with blood all over him, was seen being taken to the hospital.

    At the scene of the clash, there were burnt commercial tricycles. Shops and other business premises were hurriedly closed for fear of being looted.

    Some of the youths who dressed in black chased their rivals around.

    A police team inside a patrol van was seen trying to maintain the peace.

  • Nyako’s impeachment: APC will go to court, says Odigie-Oyegun

    Nyako’s impeachment: APC will go to court, says Odigie-Oyegun

    National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, yesterday said the party would challenge the impeachment of Adamawa State Governor Murtala Nyako in court.

    Nyako himself has vowed to head for the court.

    Odigie-Oyegun said: “I don’t know how much I can say   to that your question because I think if we are not already in court, I think we should be.

    “But it is clear that there was no due process. Even as loose as the provisions are, they did not have the patience and decency to abide by them.”

    Asked to be specific, Oyegun said: “For example, just to take the basic one:  the law provides that the governor must be personally served. Was he served personally? “Secondly, there was a subsisting court order, which should have stopped the impeachment process until the governor’s petition was disposed off. But they went ahead. “There are a lot more other but when our lawyers go to court, you will see that. Concerning allegation of gross misconduct, it was the most fair- less impeachment procedure on record up to date.

    “I have no doubt in my mind that any properly constituted legal tribunal is going to reverse the process.

    We are going to vigorously challenge what has happened in Adamawa State.”

    Oyegun was however taken to task by reporters on why APC had to blame President Goodluck Jonathan for the impeachment of Nyako after the former governor publicly absolved the President of complicity.

    Oyegun insisted that there was no contradiction between the party’s position and Nyako’s purported statement.

    He added: “There is no contradiction there. The governor did what he had to do. But we will agree as a party what to do when the need arises for us to do it. There is no contradiction, the governor is a governor, the party is a party. That is a bit different.

    “On the loose provision of the constitution, our legal luminaries and representatives will look into it.

    “In this nation, you know what happens, when the weakness of the law favours those who have the hammer in their hand, they use it to the fullest possible effect.”

  • Nyako’s impeachment: APC will go to court, says Odigie-Oyegun

    Nyako’s impeachment: APC will go to court, says Odigie-Oyegun

    National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, yesterday said the party would challenge the impeachment of Adamawa State Governor Murtala Nyako in court.

    Nyako himself has vowed to head for the court.

    Odigie-Oyegun said: “I don’t know how much I can say   to that your question because I think if we are not already in court, I think we should be.

    “But it is clear that there was no due process. Even as loose as the provisions are, they did not have the patience and decency to abide by them.”

    Asked to be specific, Oyegun said: “For example, just to take the basic one:  the law provides that the governor must be personally served. Was he served personally? “Secondly, there was a subsisting court order, which should have stopped the impeachment process until the governor’s petition was disposed off. But they went ahead. “There are a lot more other but when our lawyers go to court, you will see that. Concerning allegation of gross misconduct, it was the most fair- less impeachment procedure on record up to date.

    “I have no doubt in my mind that any properly constituted legal tribunal is going to reverse the process.

    We are going to vigorously challenge what has happened in Adamawa State.”

    Oyegun was however taken to task by reporters on why APC had to blame President Goodluck Jonathan for the impeachment of Nyako after the former governor publicly absolved the President of complicity.

    Oyegun insisted that there was no contradiction between the party’s position and Nyako’s purported statement.

    He added: “There is no contradiction there. The governor did what he had to do. But we will agree as a party what to do when the need arises for us to do it. There is no contradiction, the governor is a governor, the party is a party. That is a bit different.

    “On the loose provision of the constitution, our legal luminaries and representatives will look into it.

    “In this nation, you know what happens, when the weakness of the law favours those who have the hammer in their hand, they use it to the fullest possible effect.”

  • Pro-democracy group condemns Nyako’s impeachment

    Pro-democracy group condemns Nyako’s impeachment

    A pro-democracy group, the Voters’ Assembly (VOTAS) has condemned Tuesday’s impeachment of Adamawa State Governor, Murtala Nyako.

    The group, in a statement signed by its Chairman, Comrade Mashood Erubami, Wednesday, said Nyako’s impeachment set a new template for vindictive politics in Nigeria, describing it as an ominous sign that the 2015 election will be racked with possible catastrophes.

    The statement read in part: “If the impeachment of Governor Murtala Nyako in Adamawa  is left unchallenged, it would have spill -over effect, in other states where the legislators are already beating the drum  of impeachment  as is the case in Edo, Rivers, Kano, and  Nassarawa,  in  an attempt at putting the states on the keg of gun powder which could possibly cause a chain of reactions,  the end of which nobody could predict.

    “Obviously, the political environment is now soaked with series of alarms over threat to the lives of key members of opposition parties and potential candidates in the 2015 election, so is the threat of impeachment actions are hovering over some of the states not under the control of the PDP, a worrisome and anti-democratic advance being perpetrated through monetarily pacified legislators who are daily waking up to see the past misdemeanors committed by their governors. These same Legislators have had to encourage their Governors to defect, to other parties and later using the defection and not really the listed allegations for their impeachment.

    “In the case of Nyako, the legislators have shown that there was no thorough investigation of the conduct of Murtala Nyako as they were only out to play the script of devil written for them from outside the state without due regards for God and the constitution.

    “The way the investigation was handled within few days of sitting by the panel as against the 3 months prescribed by the constitution and the manner of submitting and affirming the report by the honorable members within few days it was submitted to it suggest that it was not the allegations that were at the root of the impeachment and this queried the religious beliefs of those internally concerned and their outside instigators and masterminds.

    “The legislators themselves are guilty of gross misconduct, a grave violation of the processes set by the constitution to be met before any impeachment could be commenced such as direct personal service and fair hearing, more so when the Supreme Court has ruled that such a notice must be personally served.  The question is that should the law be disallowed to rule because of the preference of the few who want to abuse their power and misuse their authority?”

    VOTAS said the action of the legislators portends a dangerous trend, adding that it came at a wrong time when the country is dangerously transiting from civil governance to democracy in the midst of overwhelming insecurity.

  • PHOTO: Protest against Al’Makura impeachment plot

    PHOTO: Protest against Al’Makura impeachment plot

  • Impeachment plot: Nyako, deputy shun panel’s summons

    Impeachment plot: Nyako, deputy shun panel’s summons

    Governor Murtala  Nyako and his deputy,Mr.Bala Ngilari, were conspicuously  absent yesterday     as the 7-man  panel constituted by the former Ag. Chief Judge Adamawa State ,Justice Ambrose Mammdi  to probe  the duo, commenced sitting in Yola .

    They were also not represented by any counsel.

    Chairman of the panel, Alhaji Buba Kaigama, apologized  for the delay in the commencement of  public sitting coming   one week after it was constituted without a proper inauguration.

    He said the committee faced  several problems which have since been addressed.

    Kaigama pledged to be fair to all parties  involved in the assignment before his committee.

    The deputy speaker  of the State House of Assembly,Mr. Kwamoti Laori was in attendance.

    Counsel to the House,which is the complainant  in the matter,Mr. Duro Ajeleye (SAN) and Mr. Leonard Zidon, led the only witness for  the Assembly, Mr. Therman Wafarninyi,  Chairman of the House  Committee on Public Accounts.

    He said the panel should determine whether  Nyako and Ngilari  violated the constitution  or not and make the appropriate recommendation.

    The counsel to the Assembly  tendered 22  exhibits against Nyako and  six  against  Ngilari.

    The panel adjourned to today to enable the Governor and his Deputy or their representatives to appear before it.

    The Christian Community in Adamawa State  sued for peace between the warring factions  and asked them to allow peace reign

    In a statement in Yola, the Chairman, Council of Pastors in  Adamawa State, Dr. Victor Ordinan, said the impeachment process was uncalled for  at this point in time.

    Ordinan said:“As a people we must unite so that together we can avert the severe consequences of impeaching the number one and two citizens of our state at the same time. Because we know the consequences and cannot sit back to watch them befall us.”

    However,  Elders and Stakeholders of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)  in the state  threatened to sanction any legislator that backs out of the  impeachment process.

    Spokesman  for  the group ,Dr. Umar Ardo told reporters yesterday in Yola said that the impeachment move was a PDP affair and therefore any lawmaker who went against  the decision of the party on the matter would be sanctioned.

    Asked about the reconciliatory move between the lawmakers and governor Nyako, Dr Ardo said  any action taken by the legislators is inferior to the party’s.

    He said the PDP was not even aware of any such peace parley.

    Spokesman for the State  Government Mr.P.P. Elisha said that the legitimacy of the seven man panel constituted by the acting chief judge of the state remains questionable.

    Elisha said that Governor Nyako being  a custodian of  the  Constitution will not submit himself to an  illegal  body

    On  threat  by the PDP   to sanction any of the lawmakers that may back out of the impeachment process , Elisha said it was a confirmation that the impeachment  saga was  politically motivated .

    He said  PDP was  desperate to take over power at  all cost.

     

  • Politics of impeachment in Adamawa

    Politics of impeachment in Adamawa

    Embattled Adamawa State Governor Murtala Nyako is making last-minute efforts to save his job. The House of Assembly has  begun the impeachment process against him. Will he survive the plot? Group Political Editor EMMANUEL OLADESU writes on the  politics of impeachment in the Northeast state. 

    Murtala Nyako, retired naval officer and governor of Adamawa State, is not a happy politician at the moment. Since  he defected from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC), his foes have been plotting for his downfall. The forces against him are formidable. Backed by the Presidency, Adamawa PDP leaders are united against his continuity in office. When the House of Assembly unfolded plans to impeach him, it was evident they were acting the scripts written in Abuja by his rivals in local politics.

     Supremacy battle

     The plot, sources said, is meant to achieve a dual objectives. The first is to decimate the APC Governors’ Forum. Nyako is a vocal member of this forum. The second is to get a pound of flesh from the former Chief of Naval Staff over his shift of political allegiance. Although the governor has absorbed President Goodluck Jonathan from blame for his predicament, the source said that the PDP National Leader has not objected to the plot to terminate the tenure of one of his critics.

    Two days ago, reality dawned on him that his tenure was ebbing away. He decided to act fast. The governor travelled to Abuja to consult with stakeholders. Among them were friendly senators, House of Representatives members, influential indigenes and top businessmen from the state. During the consultations, some of them accepted to mediate between him and the aggrieved legislators. “Since it is all about politics, nothing is impossible. There can still be a political situation, if the right concessions are made”, said an APC chieftain, who is party to the consultations.

    Also, Nyako has not been abandoned by his colleague governors in the APC. Some of them, who have connections in Adamawa, are also pressing buttons. Besides, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and Mallam Nuhu Ribadu have also swung into action. Although sources said that the situation is bad as the legislators are bent on pursuing the impeachment, the Turaki Adamawa is undeterred. Before the parting of ways, Abubakar, Nyako and other actors in the impeachment saga belonged to the same political family. According to sources, Nyako and his supporters opted for the option of reaching out to his foes when efforts to employ the judiciary to halt the process failed.

    For the septuagenarian politician, this is a trying moment. In the last one year, the governor’s worry has been how to curb the Boko Haram insurgency. In Adamawa,  a partial state of emergency has been declared. In fact, the governor’s life has been on the line. On two occasions, he had escaped being killed by the sect members. Few months ago, he forwarded a letter to the President. In the letter, he complained that the Federal Government may have adopted a wrong strategy in tackling the insecurity. The retired soldier also pointed out that the military was incompetent to handle the crisis. He said the Armed Forces had relied on obsolete and inadequate weapons.

    Battle for survival

     However, the insecurity in the multi-ethnic state is not the major problem giving Nyako a sleepless night. It is his personal survival in his prestigious office. Now that the impeachment axe is dangling, how to avert the doom is his priority. If the hammer falls on Nyako, his political future and that of his party may be in jeopardy. Thus, in his camp, there is anxiety. PDP sources said that, if the governor is removed, more tribulations may still come his way as the next governor or acting governor may probe his administration.

    Observers contend that the governor did not anticipate the trouble early enough. In their reckoning,  Nyako’s nightmare started when he lost his grip on the House of Assembly. Yet, he moved to douse the tension between him and the aggrieved legislators initially. Months later, the lawmaker started a new rebellion. Unlike before, they were more determined. But, the governor was also determined to weaken their resolve. When the Clerk of Assembly showed up at the Government House to deliver the impeachment notice to him, Nyako was evasive. For two days, efforts to serve the letter on him was abortive.

    To save his career, the governor approached the court. He prayed the judiciary to restrain the Speaker, his deputy, other lawmakers, and the PDP from removing him from office. After that, there was a temporary relief. But, it only lasted for two days. The Acting Chief Judge, Justice A.D. Mammadi, granted the request for an order of interim injunction restraining the defendants from taking any further action on the impeachment process. Four days later, the Acting Chief Judge, whose tenure of office was about to expire in six hours, gave his nod to the impeachment by swearing in the members of the impeachment panel, following the directive by the Speaker, Hon. Ahmadu Fintiri. The Speaker said that the move became necessary because 20 out of 25 members of the House had signed the impeachment notice.

    Moving the motion for the impeachment, the Deputy Speaker, Kwamoti Laori, said that the House relied on Section 188, Sub-section 3 and 4 of the 1999 Constitution, which stipulate that the process can proceed after a 14 day-notice. It was seconded by Hon. Umar Abdulkareem.  Laori said: “By virtue of Section 188 of the Nigerian Constitution, we have satisfied the two-thirds majority, with 20 out of 25 members, which empowers the House of Assembly to call on the Chief Judge to constitute an investigative panel.  To prevent the inauguration of the committee, the governor had declared  a public holiday . But, the retiring Acting Chief Judge hurriedly set up the panel before he bowed out.

    The judge’s retirement, according to lawyers, will not invalidate his action while in Office. “Even, if the governor now appoints a new acting chief judge, this cannot prevent the impeachment”, said a lawyer. “only a political solution will do”, he added.

    Deputy governor’s nightmare

     As Nyako is battling to save his job, his deputy, Bala Ngilari, is also kicking against the plot. Although the deputy governor had opted to stay on in the PDP when his boss defected to the APC, the House has insisted that he too should vacate office. Ngilari, a lawyer, has objected to the impeachment, saying that it is in bad faith. He described himself as a victim of hate and detestation by unnamed Abuja politicians, who are desperate to gain political control.  The impeachment, according to a source, is also targeted at the deputy governor for obvious reasons. If Ngilari is not removed, he will become the major beneficiary of the impeachment. According to the constitution, he will inherit power. The move may frustrate the ambition of other gladiators itching to succeed Nyako at the next election. Now, three scenarios are possible. “This trial will proceed for the purpose of politically eliminating Nyako for Ngilari to take over. But, this has implications. If Ngilari assumes the reins, he may assert himself. The deputy governor who is not the hero of the struggle to displace Nyabo may become the ultimate beneficiary. This is injurious to the ambition of the PDP aspirants. The second thing is that both may be asked to go to pave the way for the Speaker of the House. The third is to foist a complete crisis on Adamawa so that a full state of emergency can be declared. This may be a prelude to the appointment of an administrator by the President. These options are to the advantage of the PDP,” said the source.

     Pro-impeachment camp

     Apart from the House, prominent politicians in support of the impeachment in Adamawa include the former PDP National Chairman, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur, his son, Awal, Gen. Buba Marwa, Prof. Jibril Aminu, former Governor Boni Haruna, and Makus Gundiri. Tukur, it is believed, has an axe to grind with Nyako, whi had demanded for his removal as the party chairman and objected to the governorship ambition of his son, Awal. These party chieftains have influence on the legislators who are spoiling for war with the governor. But, if Nyako is shoved aside, will peace return to Adamawa PDP? After his exit, the gladiators will engage in a bitter succession struggle.

    Impeachable offences

     To the APC, the offences listed by the House of Assembly lack basis. Nyako has been accused of abuse of office, misuse of public funds and personalisation of power. Some officials of his administration were also accused of looting. The legislators said that some of the impeachable offences allegedly committed by the governor dated 2011.

    According to the eight-page impeachment notice, Nyako is expected to defend 20 charges of gross misconduct. They include the allegations of squandering N1 billion Adamawa State Scholarship Trust Fund and the abuse of law by appointing his wife, Dr. Halima Nyako, as the Chairman of Adamawa State Action Committee on AIDS , contrary to the law. Asked why it has taken the House three years to investigate them, a legislator, Adamu Kamale, said there is time factor is a non-issue. He said that the House can investigate the governor at any time. Lawyers have said that the burden of proof is on Nyako.

    Freezing of accounts

     When the impeachment drama was unfolding last week, the Economic and Financial Crimes (EFCC) froze the Adamawa State bank accounts.  Ahmad Sajoh, the governor’s Director Media and Publicty,  criticised the punitive measure. He said it was a ploy to pitch the people against the state government. “They know that by freezing our accounts, we cannot pay June salaries”, he said. The state was broke. To run skeletal services, the government had to source for funds from other sources.

    Impeachment as weapon against opposition

    To observers, the impeachment is a weapon by the PDP to get at the defected members. If Nyako’s government is brought down,  it has implications for his political career. Although he had no serious political ambition in 2007 when he was drafted into the governorship race by former President Olusegun Obasanjo, Nyako has the ambition to become a power broker after bowing out of office.

    For the Adamawa APC, the impeachment will end the power of incumbency wielded by Nyako. The governor’s camp will be in disarray and the fortune of the APC may deplete at the next general elections. Ahead of the next elections, the next governor will move swiftly to consolidate his hold, fortify the PDP, and position it for battle. With the federal might behind them, anti-Nyako forces  will go to poll with more confidence.

    Politics of impeachment

     The root of impeachment is usually intra-party squabbles. When they escalate, the ruling party is polarised and weakened. Then, there is defection, which is followed by bitterness. Later, impeachment is exploited to score points.

    The first time legislators attempted to impeach a head of government was in 1962. It was In the old Western Region. Under the cabinet system, a vote of no-confidence was passed on Premier Ladoke Akintola. But, the shrewd politician foiled the plot. He had the backing of the Prime Minister, the late Alhaji Tafawa Balewa. He survived the plot.

    In the Second Republic, Kaduna State Governor Balarabe Musa was impeached by the National Party of Nigeria (NPN)-dominated House of Assembly. He was succeeded by his deputy, Abba Rimi. Also, the deputy governor of Kano was impeached by legislators.

    In 2006, former Governor Rashidi Ladoja was impeached in error. For 11 months, his deputy, Adebayo Alao-Akala, acted as the governor. Ladoja was later reinstated by the court, which nullified the process. The court said that the laid down procedures were not followed.

    Also, in 2006, former Governor Ayodele Fayose of Ekiti State was impeached in controversial circumstances. In 2007, former Lagos State Deputy Governor Olufemi Pedro was impeached by the House of Assembly.

  • Elechi warns against impeachment of council boss

    Ebonyi State Governor, Chief Martin Elechi, yesterday threatened to punish any individual or group that tries to impeach the Chairman of Onicha Local Government Area of the state, Nicholas Eze.

    This follows a move by the legislative council to impeach the local government boss, which was aborted by some youths in the area who took away the mace.

    At a meeting with political stakeholders of the area in Abakaliki, the state capital, the governor threatened to dissolve the entire council leadership and set up a caretaker committee if any further attempt to impeach the chairman is made.

    In a stern warning, the governor said, “I don’t even want to hear the mention of impeachment, not to talk of its implementation, as the whole intention is to attack the chairman for not granting the selfish requests of some stakeholders.”

    He ordered for the weekly audit of the income and expenditure of the council to check the incessant pressure on the chairman to tamper with the council’s funds.

    “We would sanction any irregularity discovered in the expenditure of the funds, because it seems some people do not want to abide with the attitudinal change message we preach daily,”the governor added.

    Former Deputy Governor of the state, Prof. Chigozie Ogbu, who is also an indigene of the area, regretted the spate of conflicts in the area and traced it to greed on the part of certain individuals.

  • ACN calls for Jonathan’s impeachment

    ACN calls for Jonathan’s impeachment

    President Goodluck Jonathan should carry the can for the ongoing crisis in Rivers State, the opposition Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) said yesterday.

    The party urged the National Assembly to immediately begin impeachment proceedings against him, for failing to live up to his oath of office to uphold the Constitution.

    In a statement in Lagos by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the party said by his abhorrence of the rule of law and majority rule, the latest indication of which is his unmistakable support for a group of renegade lawmakers who are fomenting trouble in Rivers State, the President has become a danger to democracy, and must be shown the way out in accordance with the Constitution.

    ACN said: “Under President Jonathan’s watch and with his tacit support, a few lawmakers dictated to majority of the members of the Ogun State House of Assembly, which was locked for a long time. Under President Jonathan’s watch, the Nigerian Governors’ Forum was sabotaged by his minions who declared a Governor with 16 votes a winner over the one who scored 19 votes, in a injurious blow to the concept of democracy.

    ‘’And under his watch, five lawmakers – out of 32 – have become the majority and, simply because they have the backing of the presidency, are now being given police protection to disrupt the proceedings of the House. As we write, Rivers State has been taken over by current and former militants who have been unleashed to destabilise the state and cause a breakdown of law and order, to pave the way for the imposition of a State of Emergency.

    ‘’This cannot and must be allowed to continue, hence our call on the National Assembly to move quickly to remove the source of the crisis. Since this is no longer an intra-party dispute and because of its potentials to set the country on fire, we also call on civil society groups, professional bodies and ordinary Nigerians to rise up and defend the rule of law and the supremacy of the Constitution over arbitrariness,’’ ACN said.

    ‘’Taking a cue from the Presidency, the State Commissioner of Police has turned himself into a politician and abandoned his constitutional role. Instead of providing security for the entire House to sit, he chose to back the renegades and their thugs to unleash mayhem on their colleagues. This is what you get when a leader dons the garb of a partisan instead of being a statesman. All sorts of minions simply follow suit,’’ it said.

    The party said that in the aftermath of the crisis, the soldiers attached to the State House in Rivers have been withdrawn while there are real fears that the police security will also be withdrawn by a Commissioner of Police who, apparently, no longer takes orders from his boss.’