A former Special Adviser to President Goodluck Jonathan on Political Matters and an aspirant for the Adamawa State by-election on the platform of Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Ahmed Gulak, has called for the resignation of the state acting governor, Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri before the October 11 poll.
Speaking in an interview with reporters in Yola, the state capital, Gulak argued that Fintiri is still the speaker of the House of Assembly and is expected to return to his seat after the election, saying Fintiri has no constitutional right to contest.
“First and foremost, Fintiri should know he is the speaker of Adamawa House of Assembly. It’s by that virtue of the post, that he is the Acting Governor as there was no Governor and Deputy”, he said.
“His position as speaker is reserved for him, meaning that he should midwife this election, after that he should resume his post as speaker.
“He has no moral basis to contest, that’s not the intention of the framers of the constitution, and it has not encouraged members to do so.
“The Constitution is clear. He is not supposed to contest this bye- election. Because apart from the letters of the constitution, by implication, he is suppose not to participate as he has no moral right.
“If he wants to contest, he should better resign to avoid inviting calamity”, the aspirant added.
Gulak further advised PDP against disregarding the laws of the land. “If it happens like this, members of the state house of assembly will just sit down and impeach the governor and his deputy, just to clinch into power, and that is not the intention of the framer of this constitution; it is an impeccable fact that
the constitution has reserved his seat as speaker, that is why the deputy speaker is acting and it is by the virtue of his position as a speaker that he is acting governor”.
Reacting to Nuhu Ribadu’s defection from the All Progressives Congress to PDP, Gulak said although the former EFCC boss is welcome to the party, President Jonathan has not anointed any candidate, saying he is confident the party will conduct free and fair primaries.
