Impeachment: Panel drops 5 charges against Nyako

•Trouble not yet over for gov – Lawyer

The seven-member panel that probed Adamawa State Governor Murtala Nyako ended its sitting on his possible impeach­ment at the weekend, with an indication that the 20-count charge of alleged misappropri­ation of funds may have been reduced to 15.
Nyako’s deputy, James Ngilari, was charged with six offences. The committee was said to have dropped the allegation involving All Progressives Congress (APC) chieftain, Muhammadu Buhari’s visit to Yola, due to lack of evidence to prove it.
The third accusation involving expenditure of monies for entertainment of guests which the House of Assembly claimed that N120 million was divert­ed “to sponsor fictitious visit of Buhari to Adamawa State to commiserate with victims of insurgency in Madagali and Michika Local Government Areas”, was also abandoned.
The lawmakers’ lawyer, Leonard Nzadon, an­nounced the dropping of the charges while closing his case before the panel.
Also, another allegation which the lawmakers claimed that Nyako fraudulently awarded a contract of over N8 billion through a company linked to one of his wives, to siphon public funds without deliver­ing any services to the people of Adamawa State, was also dropped.
Nzadon, however, told the panel that the governor would be guilty of breaching Section 188 of the Constitution even if only one of the remaining al­legations which were supported by oral, written and video evidences were proven.
“We submit with greatest respect that there is abundant proof before this panel that there is grave violation of the Constitution, breach of Constitution and misconduct within the meaning of Section 188 subsection 11 of the 1999 Constitution as amend­ed”, Nzadon said.
Sources said the panel hurriedly closed shop at the weekened to hasten the impeachment process in tandem with the wishes of powerful stakeholders who want the governor ousted at all cost.
However, Governor Nyako, has restated his commitment towards an enduring peace in the state. Nyako said he had forgiven all Abuja-based politi­cians that were behind the impeachment saga, while seeking prayers for those who had brought ethnic and religious tension to the state.
Nyako, who hosted youths and women led by Hajiya Hauwa Abba at the weekend to identify with him, for his empowerment programme, attributed the impeachment imbroglio to those he described as unpatriotic politicians that had hid themselves under the canopy of elders of the state to cause disaffec­tion among the good people.
He restated his commitment to turn around the fortunes of the state, adding that nothing would dis­courage him from delivering democracy dividends and 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 stop me from identifying with the people. They are selfish politi­cians, who are out to incite the masses against the government”, Nyako said.