News
Impeachment Saga: I’ll Not Resign As Gov, Nyako Insists …As Adamawa Muslim Council, Others Seek Dialogue
Embattled Governor of Adamawa State, Murtala Nyako has said that he was not making any plan to resign from office despite the ongoing plot by the state House of Assembly to impeach him.
Nyako further vowed that he may seek Jonathan’s intervention in the ongoing moves by the state House of Assembly to remove him from office at the appropriate time.
According to Nyako, the president would likely wade into the matter since the state has always been there for the president.
Nyako made this disclosure at the Presidential Villa in Abuja where he attended the inauguration of the steering committee of the Safe Schools Initiative (SSI) inaugurated by the president.
Speaking with newsmen, Nyako said, “Not yet. It has not reached that crisis point. 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.”
Asked if he might likely resign, he said he was not considering that yet, even as he said his chances of surviving the ongoing impeachment proceedings in the state were bright.
“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.
On whether some former Heads of State had spoken to the President on his behalf, the governor said, “That would be excellent”.
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 every one 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.
Asked if he may defect back to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Nyako said, “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,” he added.
The Muslim Council of Nigeria in Adamawa has called for dialogue in resolving the dispute between the state legislature and executive arms in the interest of peace, unity and development in the state.
It would be recalled that following a request by the state House of Assembly, a seven-man panel was constituted by the state Acting Chief Judge, Justice Ambrose Mammadi, to investigate allegations of gross misconduct against Governor Murtala Nyako and his Deputy, Bala Ngilari.
Speaking to newsmen on the outcome of the council’s meeting in Yola yesterday, one of the members of the council and National Chairman of Jama’atul Izalatul Bidiah Wa Iquamatus Sunna (JIBWIS), Shiekh Bala Lau, said the group was concerned about the development, and called for an amicable resolution of the matter.
“Our state is under state of emergency and this face-off between the Legislature and Executive is further heating the system and creating tension in the state.
“We are against the removal of the governor; we are against the removal of the Deputy Governor, as such action could lead to more crisis in the state,” Lau said.
He said the council had been trying to reach out to the parties concerned “to see reason and sheathe their sword, particularly at this holy Ramadan period’’.
He said if necessary, clerics and traditional rulers in the state were ready to mediate in the matter.
Lau urged the people of the state to use the Ramadan period to pray for peace in the state and the country.
Similarly, the Adamawa Traditional Council has called for dialogue in resolving the political crisis.
The council made the call in a statement at the end of its meeting in Yola yesterday.
President Bola Tinubu has approved the nomination of four new members to the Governing Council of the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB).
The Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, in a statement yesterday, said the appointment is to fill existing vacancies and strengthen the board’s capacity.
The statement said the approved nominees are Mr. Olusegun Omosehin of the National Insurance Commission and Engr. Wole Ogunsanya of the Petroleum Technology Association of Nigeria.
Tinubu also endorsed the nomination of Sam Onyechi, who represents the Nigerian Content Consultative Forum and Barrister Owei Oyanbo from the Ministry of Petroleum Resources.
The President encouraged the new members to leverage their expertise and dedication to enhance local content development within Nigeria’s oil and gas industry.
It added, “The nominations arose from the exit of previous institutional representatives from the Governing Council.
“The NCDMB Governing Council, established under Section 69 of the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Content Development Act, 2010, comprises representatives from key institutions.
“These include the Ministry of Petroleum Resources, the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission, the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, the Petroleum Technology Association of Nigeria, the Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria, the Nigerian Content Consultative Forum, and the National Insurance Commission.”
The Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) has announced plans to construct additional hostels, rehabilitate roads, and enhance power supply in the University of Port Harcourt (UNIPORT).
NDDC’s Managing Director, Dr Samuel Ogbuku, disclosed this during a visit to the commission’s headquarters in Port Harcourt, yesterday by a delegation from the UNIPORT’s Governing Council.
Ogbuku stated that the NDDC had committed to upgrading facilities at UNIPORT as part of efforts to foster partnership with educational institutions across the Niger Delta.
According to him, the implementation of additional projects at the university forms part of a broader strategy to improve education standards in the region.
“Aside from the construction of new hostel blocks and installation of a 300 KVA solar inverter system, the NDDC will also facilitate more projects in the university.
“The commission will also deploy its engineers to assess the condition of UNIPORT’s roads and hostels for potential rehabilitation,” he said.
Ogbuku noted that upon completion, the projects would add to various initiatives previously undertaken by the commission at the university.
“These and other projects reflect our commitment to actualising President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda in the Niger Delta region,” he added.
He reaffirmed the NDDC’s dedication to fostering development and strengthening partnerships across the region.
Earlier, Sen. Mao Ohuanbunwa, Chairman of UNIPORT’s Governing Council, who led the delegation commended the current leadership of the NDDC for its achievements in accelerating development in the Niger Delta.
He highlighted the university’s infrastructural challenges, noting that it lacked adequate facilities to accommodate its growing student population, and appealed for the NDDC’s support in addressing the shortfall.
“Currently, UNIPORT has a total student population of about 50,000, while its hostel accommodation capacity can only cater for 5,000 students.
“We therefore urge the NDDC to assist in the construction of additional hostels, improve transportation facilities, and facilitate the acquisition of gas turbines to enhance power supply for our students,” Ohuanbunwa pleaded.
The Vice Chancellor of UNIPORT, Prof. Owunari Georgewill, commended NDDC for its impactful projects across the Niger Delta and extended an invitation to the commission to participate in the institution’s forthcoming 50th anniversary celebrations.
The Senate has rejected a motion to rename the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) headquarters after the former chairman of the defunct National Electoral Commission, late Prof Humphrey Nwosu.
Nwosu presided over the June 12, 1993, presidential election, which was truncated by the former military President, General Ibrahim Babangida (rtd).
The election which was won by the late business mogul, Chief MKO Abiola, was adjudged to be the freest and fairest in the electoral history of Nigeria.
The motion to rename INEC after Nwosu was re-sponsored by Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe yesterday after lawmakers threw it out last Wednesday.
Abaribe called for posthumous national honours to be conferred on Nwosu in recognition of his role in Nigeria’s democratic evolution.
However, the proposal sparked a heated debate once again, with lawmakers deeply divided over Nwosu’s legacy.
Senator Osita Ngwu acknowledged that Nwosu operated under a military regime, which restricted his ability to announce the results.
He argued that “there was no way he would have announced the results with a gun to his head. That doesn’t change the fact that some of us see him as a hero.”
Senator Austin Akobundu, however, described it as most uncharitable for lawmakers to dismiss Nwosu’s contributions, insisting that he deserved a place in Nigeria’s hall of honour.
On the other hand, several senators like Senator Jimoh Ibrahim dismissed the idea outright, questioning why the Senate should honour someone who failed to announce the results insisting that “nothing should be named after him”.
Senator Cyril Fasuyi argued that history does not reward efforts, but only results.
“As long as he did not announce the result, whether under duress or not, I am against naming INEC headquarters after him,” he submitted.
Also, Senator Sunday Karimi criticised Nwosu for lacking the courage to speak out, while Senator Afolabi Salisu warned that immortalising him would undermine the memory of MKO Abiola, the widely accepted winner of the June 12, 1993, annulled election.
“Any attempt to do anything beyond a one-minute silence is to rubbish Abiola’s legacy,” he tendered.
After intense deliberation, most senators rejected the motion through a voice vote.
They, however, agreed to honour him with a one-minute silence and extend condolences to his family, effectively dismissing the other prayers to immortalise Nwosu.