Adamawa Impeachment: Resignation Not On The Cards – Nyako

GOV. MURTALA NYAKO PRESENTING THE 2014 BUDGET ESTIMATES TO THE STATE HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY, YOLA
GOV. MURTALA NYAKO PRESENTING THE 2014 BUDGET ESTIMATES TO THE STATE HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY, YOLA

Governor Murtala Nyako of Adamawa State maintained yesterday that he remained strong and resolute in face of the impeachment process initiated against him by the state House of Assembly.

The governor also denied reports making the rounds that he was contemplating throwing in the towel as a face-saving measure even as he said he does not need the intervention of President Goodluck Jonathan on the matter.

Based on allegations of gross misconduct, including corruption and nepotism, some members of the House of Assembly are pushing for Nyako’s impeachment.

The governor, who stated this yesterday when he stormed the presidential villa in Abuja, twice in less than 24 hours, to attend the inauguration of the steering committee of the Safe Schools Initiative by the president. Nyako is a member of the steering committee.

Responding to questions by State House correspondents whether he had been making overtures to the president to intervene in the impeachment saga, Nyako said, “Not yet. It has not reached that crisis point”

He, however, did not rule out the possibility of calling for help from the president when the need arises.

“We have supported him all this time; he has supported us and in situations like these when Mr. President’s support is required, we will seek it”, Nyako said.

When asked to react to reports that some former Heads of State had spoken to the president on his behalf, the governor said: “That will be excellent”.

Asked whether he might likely resign, he said he was not considering that option yet, even as he expressed the confidence that he would survive the ongoing impeachment proceedings against him.

The governor noted that since the issue was before the court, it was expected that the House of Assembly members would not do anything illegal.

“Well, it is in the court and the court said it was not well done. We are hoping that if they want to do it, they will do it following the normal process in whatever they want to do”, Nyako stated, just as he claimed that the state was calm and peaceful.

Asked to give insight into the root cause of the crisis, he said: “Adamawa is a very interesting place. If I tell you we have 87 ethnic groups and the two religions are fairly balanced, it means that being sensitive to each and everyone of us is very important.

“It is a place of intellectualism; everybody has his own point of view and you have a group of people who share a certain point of view. And until it changes, they will maintain that point of view. But we have been peaceful somehow and we will remain peaceful”, he pledged.

On whether he nursed the plan to defect back to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Nyako noted that: “Quite frankly, you know how I joined the PDP and partisan politics in the first place. It is not really my field. My field is known. You know what I was before. We are straightforward; have two distinctions: loyalty and disloyalty; two separate pieces.

“But one of the politicians told me that there are a lot of things in between loyalty and disloyalty which up till this moment I have not appreciated. So, for me, disloyalty with this type of attitude with Nigerian politics of today you are likely to step on toes of a few”.

The governor, who was clad in a white Caftan and a black cap to match, drove into the villa at about 2:00pm in a black Toyota Camry with Gombe State registration number.